Whether or not to impeach Joe Biden is a question that’s on a lot of Republicans’ lips.
The President is facing ever-tightening scrutiny over allegations of financial misconduct and influence peddling as questions remain over Hunter Biden’s activities abroad, particularly from Donald Trump loyalists on the right of the GOP.
However, impeachment is a complex subject for the party, particularly when their most likely presidential nominee is facing two indictments with potentially more on the horizon.
It’s a decision that comes with pros and cons for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy amid growing pressure from fellow Republicans.
Time to Impeach Joe Biden?
The questions surrounding President Biden are, at the very least, legitimate, even in the absence of a damning piece of evidence to make impeachment inevitable.
This has been somewhat helped by the work of the House Oversight Committee, which is currently investigating the younger Biden over his business dealings in China and Ukraine.
Slowly but surely, further speculation is mounting as evidence continues to come to light.
In the past week alone, an FBI document was made public indicating that the President may have received a $5 million bribe from a Ukrainian energy firm during his tenure as Vice President.
Moreover, two senior IRS officials, Gary Shapley, and Joseph Ziegler, have continued to release evidence that only supports GOP claims.
In testimony on Tuesday, a text message allegedly from Hunter to the CEO of a Chinese fund management company raised eyebrows.
“I am sitting here with my father and we would like to understand why the commitment made has not been fulfilled,” the text reportedly stated.
One text alone is not enough for a convincing case – a reputable lawyer would argue that using his father’s reputation is nothing more than a negotiating tactic and that it provides no evidence that President Biden was in the room at the time – but little titbits building up over time perhaps would tip the scales.
Or Bad Idea…
Arguably, impeachment is a political strategy as much as it is a function to hold a president accountable for his actions, so it must be used wisely.
Trump and Bill Clinton are the most recent examples of impeachments going haywire, at least in the short term.
Following the conclusion of his impeachment in 2020, Trump’s approval rating reached record levels at 47 percent. Likewise, during Clinton’s proceedings, the governing party gained congressional seats in the mid-terms for the first time in six decades, and his approval rating peaked at 73 percent shortly afterward in December 1998.
One of those men is running for the highest office of the land in 2024 and currently faces active criminal investigations, something Trump has used to bolster support rather than dampen it.
If Joe Biden were to be impeached, it would negate Trump’s argument that he is the subject of a politically-motivated witch hunt.
Moderate voters are also likely to be turned away by any impeachment perceived as politicking; the truth is, investigations by prosecutors will almost certainly be deemed more reliable than ones conducted by an opposition political party.
McCarthy’s comments regarding evidence “rising to the level of [an] impeachment inquiry,” suggests the Speaker recognizes the strategic importance of such a decision.
Yes, clear-cut evidence has not currently been presented, so an impeachment now would be foolish.
But such comments also appease Republicans who want to see the president brought down at any cost and encourages those with further information to bring it to his attention.
Shay Bottomley is a British journalist based in Canada. He has written for the Western Standard, Maidenhead Advertiser, Slough Express, Windsor Express, Berkshire Live and Southend Echo, and has covered notable events including the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
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