WASHINGTON ― Republicans in the House of Representatives voted Wednesday to formally authorize their already ongoing impeachment inquiry against President Joe Biden.
The vote was a show of unity for an often-divided Republican conference and a clear step toward eventually impeaching the president, though Republicans swore they would only go where the evidence takes them. The vote on the House floor was 221 to 212.
“We are now at a pivotal moment in our investigation,” House Oversight Committee chair James Comer (R-Ky.), one of the leaders of the impeachment effort, said on the House floor before the vote.
“We will soon depose and interview several members of the Biden family and their associates about these influence peddling schemes,” Comer said.
One Biden family member refused to participate in a deposition on Wednesday: the president’s son Hunter, whose work for a Ukrainian gas company is the centerpiece of Republicans’ corruption allegations against the president.
Instead of sitting for a private interview, Hunter Biden came to the Capitol and blasted Republicans in an on-camera statement, saying they’d mocked his recovery from addictions to crack and alcohol in an effort to destroy his father.
“There is no fairness or decency in what these Republicans are doing,” Hunter Biden said. “They have lied over and over about every aspect of my personal and professional life.”
The impeachment effort echoes allegations former president Donald Trump made in 2019, namely that as vice president Joe Biden pushed for the ouster of a Ukrainian prosecutor because his son worked for a Ukrainian gas company. Republicans have been trying to substantiate the allegation for years, despite a pile of evidence to its contrary.
Democrats said Republicans wanted payback for the two impeachments of Trump.
“We are here today not because of any wrongdoing but because Donald Trump wants revenge,” Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) said.
One Republican, Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas), simply said “Donald J. Trump 2024 baby” when a reporter asked about the vote on Wednesday.
Several moderate Republicans had resisted supporting the impeachment effort, but said this week the White House forced their hand by citing the lack of an authorizing vote as a reason not to cooperate with requests for information.
Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.), an outspoken critic of the Ukraine corruption claims against Joe Biden, said he was troubled by the argument from the White House ― but said Tuesday he was leaning no.
“I still don’t see evidence that links Joe Biden to Hunter Biden’s activities,” Buck told HuffPost. “In fact, I see the exact opposite.”
In the end, however, Buck joined his fellow Republicans and voted in favor of the impeachment inquiry.