Joe Biden could face SUBPOENA in impeachment inquiry as Republicans get MORE power to seek evidence

President Joe Biden and his son Hunter could end up testifying before House of Representatives investigators, given the expanded subpoena power granted by opening an impeachment inquiry.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced Tuesday, as the House reconvened after the August recess, that he is officially launching an impeachment inquiry against Biden after months of pressure from MAGA Republicans.

In the shocking statement, Biden was accused of “abuse of power” and involvement in a “culture of corruption” related to his 53-year-old son’s foreign business deals.

An investigation is the first step in the impeachment process — but it gives the House of Representatives much more power to gather evidence for possible articles of impeachment against an official.

It’s a huge step with many pitfalls, including angering Republican moderates and many Republican senators skeptical of impeachment. The investigation will also create further friction with the White House as budget negotiations are underway — and Congress faces a September 30 deadline to fund the government before a shutdown.

When announcing the investigation, McCarthy used his unilateral power as chairman to initiate the impeachment process. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-California) did the same when she was speaker to launch both impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump.

“I do not make this decision lightly,” McCarthy said Tuesday.

“I would encourage the president and his team to cooperate fully with this investigation,” he added. “We are committed to getting the answers to the American public. Nothing more, nothing less. We will go wherever the evidence takes us.”

Republicans allege that Biden and his family made millions from shell companies that the president’s son, Hunter Biden, founded when his father was vice president. Hunter had signed business deals with an energy company in Ukraine, acquired a stake in a private equity firm in China and consulted for a Romanian real estate magnate.

The Republican Party also claims that Biden made at least 24 phone calls to Hunter’s business associates and was referred to as “the big guy” by Hunter’s business associates.

Biden has denied any involvement in his son’s business activities – abroad or otherwise. But Republicans allege that at least a dozen of the president’s relatives could be involved in a scheme to benefit financially from Biden’s position.

House investigators are expected to issue subpoenas for the president and his family’s banking records, which could further strengthen the case for hearing testimony from Joe and Hunter Biden.

An investigation allows the House to hold public hearings and subpoena bank records and witnesses, including the president and his son.

The House Judiciary Committee will consider the evidence gathered and use it to draft articles of impeachment – ​​or indictments – against the president. If a majority of committee members decide to adopt the articles, they will be sent to the House of Representatives for a vote.

If the full House votes in favor of the articles with a simple majority, Biden will be impeached. But the Senate will then have to hold a trial to decide whether they will also vote for impeachment.

In the Senate, two-thirds must agree to an impeachment in order for a president to be convicted and removed from office.

“Republicans in the House of Representatives have uncovered serious and credible allegations about President Biden’s conduct,” McCarthy said at the Capitol on Tuesday. “Taken together, these allegations paint a picture of a culture of corruption.”

“These are allegations of abuse of power, obstruction and corruption. And they warrant further investigation by the House of Representatives. “That is why today I am directing our committee in the House of Representatives to open a formal investigation into the impeachment of President Joe Biden,” he noted.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced the impeachment inquiry on Tuesday, which is the first step in the congressional process to try to remove a president from office

“This logical next step will give our committees full power to gather all the facts and answers for the American public. That’s exactly what we want to know the answers to.’

McCarthy is under intense pressure from the conservative wing of his party to take such a step, including threats from some of his own Republican lawmakers to remove him from the presidency.

The White House has repeatedly denied that Biden committed any wrongdoing. The president himself has said he was not involved in Hunter’s business deals.

However, some of Hunter’s former associates have testified that Joe Biden spoke with Hunter’s business associates, but the president’s defenders say the conversation was brief and purely cordial, and that there was no dealmaking involved. But McCarthy insisted Biden was involved.

“Eyewitnesses have stated that the president made multiple phone calls and had multiple interactions and dinners, which resulted in cars and millions of dollars in his and his son’s business partners,” he said.

It is estimated that Hunter raked in $40 million through 20 shell companies and fake accounts created while Joe Biden was vice president, while the elder Biden simultaneously participated in Hunter’s business calls and dropped by lavish dinners.

The White House called McCarthy’s move “extreme politics.”

“Republicans in the House of Representatives have been investigating the president for nine months, and they have found no evidence of wrongdoing,” White House spokesman for Oversight and Investigations Ian Sams said in a statement. “(McCarthy) promised to hold a vote to open impeachment proceedings, but now he has turned around because he has no support. This is extreme politics at its worst.”

The Speaker justified his decision by claiming that Biden’s family received special treatment from his own administration. Meanwhile, Republicans in the House of Representatives have already requested data from the Departments of Justice, State and Treasury as part of their investigation.

Hunter is under investigation by a special counsel and faces an IRS investigation into his taxes. But the president’s son has denied any wrongdoing.

House Republicans have been investigating the president and his family since they took control of the House of Representatives in January.

Republican Rep. James Comer (Ky.), chairman of the Oversight Committee, claims there could be more than a dozen Biden family members who have benefited from the president and Hunter’s influence.

While most names have not yet been revealed, Comer previously said that suspicious activity reports (SARs) reviewed by Republicans on the panel found that President Biden’s brother, Jim Biden, and his son Beau’s widow, Hallie Biden, benefited from foreign business deals.

Members of the Biden family could become involved in the impeachment inquiry.

Comer, Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith (R-Mo.) will lead the investigation.

Their committees have been investigating allegations that Hunter Biden abused his father’s vice presidency to secure foreign business deals that turned the family into a currency.

Hunter is already facing legal trouble. Federal prosecutors plan to indict Hunter in late September on illegal weapons charges, which carry a maximum prison sentence of 10 years.

David Weiss, a U.S. attorney appointed by then-President Donald Trump, is leading the Justice Department’s investigation into the first son. He was elevated to special counsel status last month over Republicans’ concerns that Weiss lacked the authority to conduct a proper investigation.

An impeachment inquiry could mean Hunter is brought before Congress to answer questions.