Although no crimes or misdemeanors were found in a year-long congressional inquiry, Republicans in control of the House are moving toward a vote that would formalize the investigation and grant broader authority to pursue it. The next step would officially launch the inquiry and empower the committees to expand hearings, subpoenas, and document requests as they press their case against the president.
This move is widely described as a political maneuver by Democrats who call it a fishing expedition, while critics on the right argue it is a legitimate oversight effort focused on the president and his family. The controversy centers on the ongoing political narrative surrounding President Joe Biden and the contrast with the legal scrutiny facing former President Donald Trump, who remains a dominant figure in Republican politics.
Obsession
Since gaining control of the House, and even before, the president has been a focal point for Republican lawmakers, especially among the more aggressive factions within the party. Once the chairmen of the committees received authority, they moved forward with the inquiry and last September Speaker Kevin McCarthy acted unilaterally to authorize the start of the investigation without a full vote, a concession granted to the party’s ultra-conservatives.
Now the effort is poised to advance further under Speaker Mike Johnson, who has sought to win over more moderate Republicans from contested districts. The work they have done so far—hearings, subpoenas, and requests for documents and testimony—has yielded thousands of pages of materials. Yet they have not uncovered any evidence to substantiate their allegations of corruption tied to President Biden, including questions about connections to Hunter Biden’s overseas affairs.
The resolution under consideration does not yet contain formal impeachment charges against the president. Nevertheless, the expanded powers for the three committees conducting the inquiry signal a broadening campaign with a four-pronged focus, as Johnson outlined: the substantial sums reportedly paid to Hunter Biden and the president’s brother, James Biden, by foreign businesses; alleged false or misleading statements by the president regarding his son’s activities; monetary arrangements connected to discussions with Hunter Biden’s business partners; and loans extended to both Hunter and James Biden.
Subpoena to Hunter Biden
The resolution also reflects earlier investigative steps whose legitimacy has been questioned due to the lack of a formal vote to authorize the process in full. One notable action has been the subpoena demanding Hunter Biden testify behind closed doors, while the president’s son has offered to participate in a public hearing, an offer he has thus far declined.
That invitation was renewed in front of Congress and the press on a recent Wednesday morning, the day specified in the call. Hunter Biden reiterated his defense of his father and criticized the inquiries as illegitimate attempts aimed at damage rather than serving the public interest. He stressed that he has not leveraged his father’s position for personal gain, and he rejected insinuations about his own business dealings, his work with Burisma, or any involvement with Chinese partners, labelling the investigations as distractions designed to mislead the American people.
He contended that the investigations should be open and transparent, arguing that closed-door proceedings and selective disclosures only fuel suspicions of bias. He warned that the process could become a vehicle for distorted evidence and misinformation if not conducted with full public accountability. In his view, the political motive behind the inquiries is clear to many voters who are watching how the process unfolds in the heat of a competitive political environment.