Republicans in Congress have kicked off a monumental battle that could result in Joe Biden becoming the first US president to be removed from office – but Republicans still have a long way to go.
By authorizing a formal impeachment inquiry, the House Republican Party has increased the chances that Biden, his son Hunter and their associates will be dragged before Congress to answer questions about allegations of corrupt foreign business dealings.
The Bidens can now have their bank records, mortgage records, emails, text messages and cellphones subpoenaed, along with anything else Congress wants to see.
Such impeachment investigations into a president have been extremely rare in US history.
DailyMail.com breaks down what the vote means, what happens next and how likely Biden is to be convicted:
WhIs there an impeachment inquiry?
The Constitution gives Congress the power to impeach the president for treason, bribery and other “high crimes and misdemeanors.”
An impeachment investigation can be initiated by the President, or by a member of Congress who can obtain a majority vote in the House of Representatives.
In the Biden case, several committees – Oversight, Judiciary and Ways and Means – have already investigated allegations that he corruptly used the office of vice president to help his son Hunter make money from deals in China, among others and Russia.
Their discoveries include Biden repeatedly meeting with his son's foreign business partners and taking him on Air Force Two trips.
It contributed to Republicans voting to authorize the impeachment trial to obtain more evidence.
The committees will now be able to hold hearings and call witnesses, including Hunter, his business associates and even Joe Biden himself.
Ultimately, the findings of the various investigative committees will be considered by the House Judiciary Committee.
What are articles of impeachment?
The Judiciary Committee will prepare articles of impeachment, which are proposed charges based on the evidence.
The Republican-led Judiciary Committee will then vote on whether to adopt the articles.
If so, the articles will be sent to the House of Representatives, which will debate them and then vote on whether the president should face trial on the charges.
Only a simple majority of the House of Representatives – where Republicans outnumber Democrats 222 to 212 – is needed to pass.
If the articles were to pass the House, Biden would be officially impeached.
The subsequent trial of President Joe Biden would take place in the Senate, presided over by Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts.
The Constitution requires a two-thirds majority of the Senate to convict and remove the president from office.
Joe and Hunter Biden are being investigated by congressional committees
Has a president ever been successfully impeached?
To date, no president in the history of the United States has been convicted in the Senate.
Donald Trump was impeached twice and acquitted both times in Senate trials.
Bill Clinton was impeached and acquitted on charges of perjury and obstruction in connection with the Monica Lewinsky affair.
Richard Nixon resigned before he was impeached over the Watergate scandal.
President Andrew Johnson faced impeachment in February 1868 due to repeated conflicts with Republicans in the aftermath of the Civil War.
The trial began when he was accused of violating the Tenure of Office Act by removing Secretary of War Edwin Stanton from the Cabinet.
The impeachment vote failed by just two votes in the Senate.
What does the Constitution actually say about impeachment?
The Constitution of the United States says that the House of Representatives “shall have the sole Power of Impeachment” and that “the Senate shall have the sole Power of trying all Impeachments…(but) no person shall be convicted without the Consent of two-thirds of the population. the members present
Impeachment proceedings can be brought against the president, vice president, and other government officials.
The impeachment process began in England and was later adopted by state governments in America.
In the US Constitution it became an important part of the system of checks and balances.
It allows charges by Congress to hold executive officials accountable and remove them for “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.”
The term “high crimes and misdemeanors” was not further defined by the Founding Fathers and its meaning has long been debated.
Why did Republicans choose to hold a vote to authorize an impeachment inquiry – even though it wasn't necessary?
Throughout the Republican investigation into the Biden family and business deals, the Republican Party has accused the White House of stonewalling their requests for documents.
The vote to approve the impeachment inquiry, they say, will tear down this wall and give them access to more files.
Republican Rep. Tom Emmer told DailyMail.com, “You don't need a full vote of the House to initiate an impeachment inquiry or to conduct the investigation we are constitutionally obligated to do.”
'That was created under the last administration, with Nancy Pelosi and the sham impeachment, where the Democrats just stormed into the room and said, 'we have a case.'
“They filed an article of impeachment during a phone call.
“We're not going to recognize these subpoenas or we're not going to recognize them as valid without a full vote.
'We will have to go to court to enforce this. You might as well remove any objection they may have.”
How likely is it that Biden will be impeached?
Speaker Johnson continues with the impeachment vote and is betting that the slim Republican majority will not stand in the way.
But the GOP still has a long, uphill battle to get a conviction.
The articles of impeachment must still be approved in committees and then approved by a majority in the House.
When the trial reaches the Senate, Republicans will need a two-thirds majority for conviction.
There are 48 Democratic Senators and three Independents who typically vote with them.
It means Republicans will struggle to get close to the votes they need.