Some on the right of the US Republican Party have been itching to impeach President Joe Biden from the day he was sworn into office.
On Tuesday Republican speaker of the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy moved closer to giving those on his right flank what they have been seeking for years, announcing an impeachment inquiry into the president.
The move marks the first step in a process that could ultimately force Biden’s removal from office, but that is a long way off – it would require a vote of the House of Representatives to impeach, followed by a conviction of Biden after a trial in the Senate.
Some on the right in the House are furious at the criminal charges that have been brought against their hero, former president Donald Trump.
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They have not forgotten that Democrats, when they controlled the House, impeached Trump twice, although he was acquitted both times by the Senate.
An Achilles heel for the Biden presidency was always likely to be the business activities of his son Hunter, particularly those involving Ukrainian and Chinese businesses.
The curious case of a laptop that allegedly was left by Hunter Biden in a repair store and never collected proved to be a godsend for Republicans when it fell into their hands – providing all kinds of leads and insights into both his lifestyle and business dealings.
Republicans have in particular pointed to Hunter Biden’s term on the board of a Ukrainian gas company for which he received large sums of money, despite his appearing to lack any real expertise in the energy sector.
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Republicans contend that the Ukrainians wanted Hunter Biden on their board because his father happened to be the vice-president of the United States at the time.
What Republicans have really sought is to drag Joe Biden into the controversy surrounding his son’s business affairs.
Over recent months Republicans, who currently control the House of Representatives, have carried out a series of investigations and hearings into Hunter Biden’s business affairs and into whether there was “influence peddling” at play.
An explosive allegation emerged in the early summer suggesting that Joe Biden was involved in a $5 million bribery scheme. The president described the allegation as “a bunch of malarkey”.
Republicans spoke at the time of the existence of tapes to prove their assertions but these have not materialised publicly to date. Indeed, no definitive evidence of wrongdoing or misconduct against the president have emerged.
Another avenue for Republicans will be claims made by some FBI whistleblowers that the Department of Justice under the Biden administration soft pedalled on an investigation into Hunter Biden concerning his tax affairs, and claims that he bought a gun while taking drugs.
A deal which would have seen Hunter Biden receive a non-custodial sentence on both the tax and firearms charges fell apart at the last minute and he now faces possible indictment in the near future.
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However, another backdrop to McCarthy’s move to announce an impeachment inquiry into the president stems from internal difficulties in his own parliamentary party in Congress.
McCarthy needed support from his right flank to achieve his longstanding ambition of becoming speaker last January. Part of the price he agreed to pay was a change in the rules to make it easier for a speaker to be removed from the post.
A deal reached between McCarthy and Biden to avoid a US debt default several months ago infuriated some on the right, who insist there must be severe cuts to government spending.
The issue of spending is very much coming back on the agenda. Unless a deal is reached within the next fortnight on the budget for next year, there could be a shutdown of the US government.
McCarthy, by giving his right flank what they want in terms of a Biden investigation, may have given himself breathing space on the budget issue.
Republicans and conservative media have focused hard on the Hunter Biden issue and the allegations of corruption. And there is some basis for believing that these claims have broken through among ordinary Americans.
A CNN poll last week found that just over 60 per cent believed that Joe Biden had at least some involvement in Hunter Biden’s business dealings.
These claims – or smears as Democrats would describe them – were likely to form a big part of the Republicans’ campaign heading into the presidential election next year.
With an impeachment inquiry now open, the Republicans will need to produce evidence to back up their assertions. An inquiry that falls flat would inevitably be presented by Democrats as the president being cleared of all suggestions of corruption.