WASHINGTON – On Monday, House Republicans released an impeachment report that made serious allegations of influence peddling and obstruction against President Joe Biden. The President has previously dismissed these claims as “lies” throughout the nearly two-year investigation.

The detailed 291-page report, compiled by the Judiciary, Oversight and Accountability, and Ways and Means committees, asserts that Biden was involved in a conspiracy to assist his family in earning millions from foreign entities, involving personal meetings and phone conversations.

“The overall corrupt actions uncovered by the Committees are shocking,” the document states. “President Joe Biden conspired to engage in influence peddling and unethical behavior. By doing so, he misused his position and, through repeated dishonesty about this misuse, has defrauded the United States to benefit his family.”

This report was issued on the same day that President Biden, who opted out of seeking re-election against former President Donald Trump, is set to address the Democratic National Convention. The report indicates that the committees aimed to update legislators on the evidence collected thus far while continuing their investigation. However, Biden’s supporters argue that the Republican investigation is aimed at boosting Trump’s popularity ahead of the upcoming election.

Biden has labeled the corruption allegations as “falsehoods.” His brother James Biden and son Hunter Biden have both denied that he participated in their business ventures. Following a March hearing, in which some House Republicans expressed doubt about the evidence against Biden, White House counsel Edward Siskel proclaimed the impeachment investigation to be concluded prematurely.

“Instead, the ongoing investigation has consistently revealed that the President did nothing improper,” Siskel wrote in a March letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.

Impeachment Report Coincides with Presidential Campaign Intensifying

The report is presented more as an update on the various investigations Republican lawmakers have initiated since taking control of the House in 2023, rather than a precursor to a vote on impeachment or a Senate trial.

Following Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race, GOP representatives announced plans to investigate Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee against Trump, and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

The report’s claims about Biden consistently reference sections from the 2019 Democratic impeachment of Trump in relation to his interactions with Ukraine to rationalize and clarify the charges.

“Regardless of recent instances where Democrats have diminished the impeachment process, the decision to pursue impeachment articles in the House must not be taken lightly,” the report emphasized.

This report follows the recent filing by Justice Department special counsel David Weiss in the upcoming trial of Hunter Biden concerning unpaid taxes. Prosecutors stated that rather than proving Biden received compensation “for actions taken by his father that affected national or international politics,” Hunter Biden “performed minimal work” in relation to the millions he received from foreign entities.

Republicans had cautioned that the two impeachments of Trump, from which he was acquitted each time in the Senate, would encourage retaliatory political accusations when control of Congress and the White House fluctuated between parties. The House has previously impeached Alejandro Mayorkas, the Secretary of Homeland Security, but the charges, primarily concerning border security, were dismissed in the Democratic-majority Senate without a trial.

Here’s an overview of what we know regarding the impeachment report against Biden:

GOP Report Claims Biden’s Corruption in Relation to Family’s International Business Deals

The report outlines various allegations from Republicans against President Biden, which include concerns about his family’s business transactions, the federal charges against his son, and the inquiry involving classified documents discovered at Biden’s residence and offices.

Key points from the findings include:

• Since 2014, Biden’s family members have received $27 million from foreign sources during his time as vice president and a subsequent four-year period away from public office. However, the Bidens contest that the president garnered any benefits from these transactions, with James Biden asserting that the hundreds of thousands he provided to his brother were for settling a personal loan.
• Hunter Biden often placed his father on speakerphone during meetings with foreign business associates from Russia, Romania, China, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine. Nevertheless, some individuals who were present have testified that these conversations were trivial, discussing matters like the weather.
• There are claims that Hunter Biden received preferential treatment from the Justice Department during investigations into gun possession and unpaid taxes. Following a judge’s rejection of a plea deal that could have spared him jail time, he was convicted of gun-related charges in June and is scheduled for a tax trial in September.
• It is alleged that the White House hindered the impeachment investigation by withholding crucial documents and witnesses. For instance, Biden invoked executive privilege to avoid releasing the recording of his interview with special counsel Robert Hur regarding classified materials. While a transcript was provided, the Justice Department argued that releasing the recording might dissuade future witnesses from cooperating.

Republican impeachment report against Biden mirrors Democratic report against Trump

In December 2019, the House, led by Democrats, voted to impeach Trump for abusing presidential powers and obstructing Congress after he requested Ukrainian officials to initiate an investigation into Biden, his political competitor. Trump maintained that his conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was “perfect” and well within his governmental authority.

House Republicans characterized the impeachment of Trump as “highly relevant,” arguing that the “high crimes and misdemeanors” necessary for impeachment were interpreted as “abuse of power,” “betrayal of national interest through foreign entanglements,” and “corruption in office and elections.”

The report contended that Biden’s alleged involvement in a scheme to enrich his family violated public trust, placing personal interests above the needs of the nation.

“In fact, precedents set by House Democrats in 2019 during President Donald J. Trump’s impeachment indicate that ‘abuse of office,’ referred to as using ‘official power for personal gain while neglecting or harming national interests,’ is grounds for impeachment,” the report emphasized.

Additionally, the report claimed that Biden’s knowledge of his son’s refusals to comply with subpoenas for testimony could be inferred as an indication that the withheld evidence would not be favorable.

“According to constitutional law, the House can legitimately conclude that a President’s obstruction of Congress plays a role in evaluating the evidence for impeachment,” stated the Democratic report from Trump’s impeachment. “Traditionally, courts have recognized that when someone has pertinent evidence within their reach and chooses not to present it, that omission suggests the evidence would be detrimental to them.”

Republicans argued that this precedent allows the House to come to the conclusion that withheld witnesses and information from the committees were unfavorable to the President.

Biden declares ‘nothing wrong’ by White House

Biden, along with his son, brother, and various officials from his administration, has consistently denied the allegations throughout the investigation.

“Instead of working to improve the lives of Americans, they are focused on attacking me with falsehoods,” Biden stated in a December release after the House sanctioned the impeachment inquiry.

Siskel, the White House counsel, remarked that Republicans reviewed over 100,000 documents and interviewed numerous witnesses but failed to prove any wrongdoing by Biden.

Both Hunter and James Biden testified that the president had no involvement in their business endeavors. Eric Schwerin, who assisted Biden with personal finances, stated he was unaware of any payments received by the president during his vice presidency related to his family’s business activities.

“The substantial amount of testimony has only revealed that the President did nothing wrong,” Siskel conveyed to Johnson.

A former FBI informant, Alexander Smirnov, alleged that Joe and Hunter Biden accepted $5 million in bribes from the Ukrainian energy company Burisma, where Hunter was employed. House Republicans briefly identified this as crucial evidence against Biden. However, Smirnov was indicted by a federal grand jury in February for providing false information to the FBI regarding the claims just weeks before the 2020 election.

Former Representative Ken Buck, a Republican from Colorado and ex-prosecutor who stepped down in March, commented that his Republican colleagues are treating impeachment as “a social media issue rather than a constitutional principle.” Additionally, a group of legal professionals described the investigation as “an abuse of power” and “clearly unjustified.”