Republicans Gather Evidence in Move Toward Biden Impeachment Inquiry

WASHINGTON — The House will vote next week on formally authorizing its impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said during a briefing with reporters Tuesday morning, saying Republicans have “no choice” but to push ahead in light of White House resistance to its inquiries.

Johnson’s announcement came as Republican investigators questioned two Internal Revenue Service whistleblowers about allegations of preferential treatment toward his son in a tax fraud investigation.

IRS agents Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler met behind closed doors with the House Ways and Means Committee to discuss Hunter Biden’s tax returns.

The IRS code requires the federal government to keep personal tax returns confidential.

Despite the secrecy during Tuesday’s hearing, Shapely and Ziegler already have publicly divulged information about their investigation of Hunter Biden’s alleged criminal conduct.

They said the Justice Department pursued only misdemeanor charges when anyone else would have been hit with a stiff felony prosecution. Part of the allegations are based on income Hunter Biden received from suspect foreign business dealings.

Biden was a founding board member of Chinese investment company BHR Partners in 2013. He was a board member of Ukrainian natural gas company Burisma Holdings from 2014 until his term expired in April 2019.

The IRS began investigating Hunter Biden in late 2018. In June 2023 he pleaded guilty to tax evasion charges but changed the plea to not guilty a month later.

In September, he was indicted by a special counsel in Delaware on illegal firearm charges after he allegedly lied on a gun ownership application about his drug use.

Republicans say the evidence implicates the president in protecting his son from criminal prosecution while trying to enrich himself and his family through his political influence. They are using the allegations in proposals to impeach the president.

Biden’s supporters say the Republicans are stretching the truth to undercut the president’s credibility as he runs for reelection.

In an example Tuesday, Republicans on the House Oversight Committee released a report showing Hunter Biden’s business, Owasco PC, made three $1,380 payments to his father in 2018. 

The report did not mention that Hunter Biden was repaying his father for assistance in purchasing a new car.

House Oversight Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said in a video that “this wasn’t a payment from Hunter Biden’s personal account but an account for his corporation that received payments from China and other shady corners of the world.”

Hunter Biden has explained the payment by saying his credit score was low at the time he wanted to purchase a Ford Raptor as he struggled with drug and alcohol addiction. Title for the car is in Joe Biden’s name after he helped his son finance it.

The president and his son deny any impropriety that is linked to Chinese influence.

Republican leaders are unconvinced. On Tuesday, they announced they would vote next week on whether to begin a formal impeachment inquiry.

“This vote is not a vote to impeach President Biden,” said Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. “This is a vote to continue the inquiry of impeachment, and that’s a necessary constitutional step.”

The impeachment inquiry is planned as a broad-based investigation covering Hunter Biden’s foreign business, allegations that Joe Biden as vice president used his influence to help Burisma and whether the Justice Department only weakly pursued Hunter Biden’s tax crimes.

The House Ways and Means Committee hearing appeared to be an effort to gather more evidence in anticipation of the impeachment inquiry. Republican leaders have said subpoenas and lawsuits could be next.

So far, the evidence gathered has included bank and business records of Hunter Biden and presidential brother James Biden. In addition, witnesses to congressional committees have come from the FBI, the Justice Department, the National Archives and the office of the special counsel investigating the president.

The Biden administration denies Republican accusations of being uncooperative in the investigations after turning over 35,000 pages of private financial documents and 2,000 pages of Treasury Department reports.

“Claims of ‘obstruction’ and ‘stonewalling’ are easily refuted by the facts,” a White House memo says.

You can reach us at [email protected] and follow us on Facebook and X.