The first hearing on U.S President, Joe Biden’s impeachment inquiry has commenced.
The hearing, held on Thursday, September 28, 2023, comes two weeks after the House Speaker, Kevin McCarthy, launched the inquiry into the President over unproven allegations of corruption in his family’s business dealings.
House Republicans launched their formal impeachment hearing, saying they intend to “provide accountability” as they make their case to the public, their colleagues and skeptics in the Senate.
The Chairmen of the Oversight, Judiciary, and Ways and Means committees; the three bodies overseeing the impeachment inquiry are using the first hearing of their impeachment inquiry to review the constitutional and legal questions involved.
Giving a recap of Republicans case against the President, Rep. James Comer, the Oversight Chairman, said the lawmakers have “a mountain of evidence” that will show that Joe Biden “abused his public office for his family’s financial gain.”
Comer noted that the panel will continue to “follow the money and the evidence to provide accountability” to the American people.
As the hearing began, Democrats displayed a screen showing the days, hours and minutes left until the government shuts down as Congress struggles to fund the government before the deadline on Saturday, September 30, 2023.
Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the Oversight panel questioned the legitimacy of the hearing since the House has not voted to formally launch the impeachment inquiry.
“We’re 62 hours away from shutting down the government of the United States of America and Republicans are launching an impeachment drive, based on a long debunked and discredited lie,” Raskin said.
“No foreign enemies ever been able to shut down the government United States but now Maga Republicans are about to do just that.
“But they don’t want to cut off public services to the people and deny paychecks to more than a million service members without first launching an impeachment drive, even when they don’t have a shred of evidence against President Biden for an impeachable offense.”
Jamie Raskin
The White House also issued a statement responding to the ongoing impeachment hearing by the House Oversight Committee.
“There are 60 hours and 55 minutes until the government shuts down because of extreme House Republicans’ chaos and inability to govern. The consequences for the American people will be very damaging – from lost jobs, to troops working without pay, to jeopardizing important efforts to fight fentanyl, provide food assistance, and more. Nothing can distract from that.”
White House
The hearing did not involve witnesses with information about the Bidens or Hunter Biden’s business work. Instead, the panel heard from outside experts in tax law, criminal investigations and constitutional legal theory.
The Republicans have invited Former Assistant Attorney General, Eileen O’Connor, George Washington University law Professor, Jonathan Turley and Bruce Dubinsky, a Forensic Accountant.
Democrats brought in Michael J. Gerhardt, a Professor of jurisprudence at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Current Evidence Not Substantial
A top Republican witness, Jonathan Turley, who is also an expert in impeachment issues, said he believed the House had passed the threshold for an inquiry but that the current evidence was not enough for charges.
I do not believe that the current evidence would support articles of impeachment,” Turley said.
In detailing the reasons Republicans say they have to impeach Biden, Michael Gerhardt concluded: “If that’s what exists, as a basis for this inquiry, it is not sufficient. I say that with all respect.”
Gerhardt said, “A fishing expedition is not a legitimate purpose.”
During the hearing, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Washington DC’s non-voting Democratic delegate, asked Gerhardt to elaborate on the dangers of “impeachments [that] are initiated without any evidence of wrongdoing by a President.”
“They trivialize impeachment, they trivialize the constitution, and they ride roughshod over the rule of law. Nothing good comes from abusing your power, whether it’s done by a President or by Congress,” Gerhardt said.
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