House Republicans issued a blistering report Monday accusing President Biden of committing at least two offenses that would justify his impeachment - delivering a political black eye to Biden just hours before he speaks on the opening night of the Democratic National Convention.
"The Committees' investigative work has revealed that the Biden family - with the full knowledge and cooperation of President Biden - has engaged in a global influence peddling racket from which they made millions of dollars." The rare congressional impeachment inquiry kicked off in September 2023, and the US House of Representatives ratified it by a party-line vote in December 2023, with all Republican lawmakers voting it through.
'One of the most egregious abuses of power uncovered in the history of the United States' The report accuses Biden of aiding the shady business ventures of first son Hunter, 54, and first brother James Biden, 75, and then attempting to cover the family's tracks by resisting oversight from Congress.
Biden, who announced his looming retirement July 21 after a Democratic mutiny over his mental acuity, "Knowingly participated" in a conspiracy "To monetize his office of public trust to enrich his family" during and after his time as vice president in the Obama administration, the report says.
How the Biden family used shell companies to enrich themselves "Joe Biden's participation in his family's influence peddling represents - as quantified by sheer dollar amounts flowing to a public official's personal interests - one of the most egregious abuses of power uncovered in the history of the United States," it alleges.
As much as $18 million allegedly flowed from foreign entities to "Shell companies" and other accounts linked to first family members from "Corrupt dealings" that sold the "Biden brand" to associates in Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Russia and China.
Biden family associates - including former Hunter Biden business partners that testified to the panels - nabbed another $9 million in profits.
Biden is not expected to be impeached by the House - where Republicans hold a narrow 220-212 majority - in part because of reluctance from a handful of Republicans, but also because of the diminished political salience now that Biden has dropped his bid for a second term.
The report says that "[t]he Biden family's influence peddling was vast and involved entities and individuals from some of America's greatest adversaries, such as China and Russia.
"Clearly aware of the political risks associated with Joe Biden's participation in this scheme, the Biden family and their business associates sought to conceal his involvement by funneling money through an extensive network of shell or third parties' companies, using code names, and engaging in other obfuscatory tactics designed to maintain, as James Biden described, 'plausible deniability,'" it says.
Democrats have argued that Biden did nothing wrong and that he's guilty of being no more than a supportive father to his son Hunter, who has struggled with addiction to alcohol and drugs, while pointing out that members of other first families have had dealings with state-linked foreign firms during or shortly after their powerful relative held office
Source: New York Post: Story by Josh Christenson, Steven Nelson
Biden accused of abuse of power, obstruction in blistering House Republican impeachment report hours before his DNC speech