By WASHINGTON — House Republicans released a 291-page report Monday accusing President Joe Biden of “impeachable conduct” and calling for his removal from office, just as the president prepares to deliver the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention.
The report, compiled by the Oversight and Accountability, Judiciary, and Ways and Means committees, largely reiterates accusations from previous reports and hearings. It alleges that Biden, both as president and vice president, committed abuses of power and obstructed congressional investigations.
Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, confirmed the timing of the report was deliberate. “As Democrats celebrate Joe Biden and crown Kamala Harris as his heir apparent this week, Americans should remember the reality of the Biden-Harris administration: crime, chaos, and corruption,” Jordan said in a statement.
The White House dismissed the report. Sharon Yang, spokesperson for oversight and investigations, told The Associated Press in an email, “After wasting nearly two years and millions of taxpayer dollars, House Republicans have finally given up on their wild goose chase.”
The Republican investigation has focused on the financial dealings of Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, and the president’s brother, James Biden. It alleges they profited from foreign business dealings while Joe Biden was vice president from 2009 to 2017.
The report cites instances where Joe Biden met or spoke with clients of his son and brother. Most interactions appear to have been brief encounters at dinners and events or phone calls where Hunter Biden put his father on speakerphone with clients present.
However, the committees provided no evidence that Joe Biden used or offered to use his authority to benefit his family members’ business associates.
The report also charges Biden with obstruction of justice, citing his resistance to certain investigative requests, including not ordering the Justice Department to release audio recordings of his interview with special counsel Robert Hur regarding classified documents found at Biden’s private residence.
Legal experts have expressed skepticism about the strength of the case. Michael Gerhardt, a constitutional law professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, told the AP that the evidence doesn’t point to the kind of conduct that has triggered previous impeachments.
“We have not had many presidential impeachments, so we’re talking about an awfully small set, but typically, we’re looking for some kind of serious misconduct that hurts the republic or hurts the Constitution,” Gerhardt said. “And I don’t think we have either of those things here in this case.”
Frank O. Bowman III, professor emeritus of law at the University of Missouri, described the report as “performative foolishness that would be comical if it were not such a terrible misuse of a serious constitutional power.”
It remains unclear whether there is enough Republican support in the House to approve articles of impeachment. The GOP holds a slim majority and would need nearly unanimous support from its members to pass such articles.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said in a statement, “We encourage all Americans to read this report.” However, he gave no indication of plans to bring an impeachment vote to the House floor.
As the impeachment debate unfolds, Biden is set to address the Democratic National Convention on Monday night, where Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to be nominated as his running mate for the 2024 presidential election.
