From 221 to 212 in favour of Republicans in the House of Representatives, it’s still a long way from the final gong, but it was after this vote that the congressional impeachment battle moved to the floor. Joe Biden is now in a tight grip. Opponents have their hands more free than ever before. From now on, you can demand documents hidden in the US national archives, call any witnesses. Even Biden himself.
The Republicans started to get into the shady dealings of the Biden clan during his Obama vice-presidency, when business was built on trading on the influence of the “big guy” (as Joe was codified in secret correspondence by his cronies) around the world, as soon as they won a majority in Congress. As early as the beginning of this year.
They estimate that the Biden clan made as much as $40 million, obtained through hundreds of accounts held in at least 20 shell companies. The picture of rampant corrupt activity shines through 82 thousand e-mails, where, using pseudonyms, those on top of the American hail on the hill discussed shady deals.
The sales manager of the Biden brand was his son Hunter. The fun with escorts and drugs was interspersed with his flights on the vice-president’s jet. The reach was global – from Ukraine to Kazakhstan, from China to Romania. The profits were to match. Biden Jr. received $83 thousand a month in the Ukrainian Burisma, a Romanian businessman made him millions of dollars in transfers. Among gifts – a 2.8-carat diamond from Chinese partners or a Porsche from a Kazakh oligarch. The impeachment procedure allows expanding this list.
Calling what happened a “baseless political stunt,” Biden looks like a bad magician who suddenly had all the objects fall out of his hands. Another Democrat, Bill Clinton, was in the same situation 25 years ago. But now it’s more serious than the stains on a White House intern’s blue dress.
A significant result of the Republicans in the House should be their preparation of articles of impeachment that outline the counts against Biden. This is the prerogative of the Judiciary Committee. Next, the Judiciary Committee will vote to accept or reject the charges. In the end, the entire House of Representatives must decide whether the President of the United States is obliged to stand trial.
Here everything will be determined by a simple majority of votes, and since the advantage is with the same Republicans, it is very likely that with Biden will happen what happened with Trump (twice), and earlier with Clinton and Nixon. He will be officially impeached. The other thing is removal from power. This is the prerogative of the Senate, where the process will go already under the chairmanship of the head of the Supreme Court. In order to evict the US president from the White House before the deadline, two-thirds of votes of the upper house members are needed.
Despite several “successful” impeachments (they happened in the XIX century, for example, with Andrew Johnson), the Senate has never managed to remove the US president from power. It is almost 100 per cent unsuccessful now. The Democrats have 48 “bayonets” in the Senate plus three “independents” who vote the way they want. The other thing is the timing. It is an election year, the rating of the American president is low, one more hit and the lame duck Biden will simply not make it to the second term. That’s what the Republicans are counting on.
But Hunter can pay the full price for his father, uncle, and his friends and associates. If Biden doesn’t pardon him, the wayward offspring could go away for a long time. In Delaware, he’s looking at 25 years for a gun bought in an altered state of consciousness after drugs. In California, up to 17 years. For $1.5 million in unpaid taxes on a similarly extensive binge. Now there’s added contempt of congress.
On the day Republicans launched impeachment proceedings, Biden Jr. never made it to the House of Representatives, staging a spectacle for reporters at the foot of Capitol Hill. Next time he will be summoned by subpoena.
Valentin Bogdanov, RT