House Republicans are making a last-ditch effort to deliver on their stalled impeachment inquiry into the Biden family businesses by inviting President Joe Biden to testify before Congress. Representative James Comer, chair of the House Oversight Committee, sent a letter to Biden inviting him to sit for a public hearing to explain his involvement in the Biden family businesses under oath. The GOP-led inquiry has not produced hard evidence of wrongdoing by Biden while he was in public office, leading to growing pressure for some sort of resolution after months of investigating the Biden family and their business transactions.
While it is unlikely that Biden would agree to appear before lawmakers in this setting, Comer pointed to previous examples of presidents testifying before Congress. The invitation comes as the inquiry into Biden is winding down, with Republicans realizing the lack of political support for moving forward with an actual impeachment. The White House has dismissed the inquiry as baseless and called for Republicans to focus on real issues facing Americans. Despite dedicating significant resources and interviewing numerous witnesses, including Hunter Biden and James Biden, Republicans have yet to produce evidence showing direct involvement or benefit by Joe Biden in his family’s businesses while in public office.
Democrats have remained united against the inquiry, with Representative Jamie Raskin calling for an end to the investigation in the absence of credible evidence. Seeking testimony from the president could be the inquiry’s final act, as Republicans had previously considered holding a vote on articles of impeachment but faced criticism from within their party. Now, Comer is considering potential criminal referrals of the Biden family to the Justice Department, a move that is likely symbolic and may not be taken up by the department. The GOP’s impeachment inquiry has been criticized as a circus, with calls from Oversight Democrats to end the investigation.
The invitation to Biden to testify before Congress is seen as a way to bring closure to the inquiry, which has been marred by a lack of concrete evidence and partisan disagreement. The White House has dismissed the inquiry as a political stunt and called for Republicans to move on from the issue. The GOP’s effort to link Joe Biden to alleged influence-peddling schemes through his family’s business dealings has not yielded results, leading to pressure for a resolution to the investigation. Despite months of work and interviews with key witnesses, Republicans have been unable to provide evidence directly implicating Biden in any wrongdoing while in public office.
The prospect of criminal referrals to the Justice Department is seen as a last resort by Republicans, with little expectation that the department will take up the case. The inquiry into the Biden family businesses has faced criticism for its lack of credibility and substantive evidence, with Democrats pushing for its end. Overall, the invitation for Biden to testify before Congress is part of a broader effort by Republicans to address the inquiry into the Biden family, which has struggled to gain traction and support within the party. As the inquiry winds down, the focus is now on potential next steps and the political implications of the investigation on both parties.
