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WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives authorized an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden along party lines on Wednesday.
Utah's all-Republican House delegation — Reps. Blake Moore, Celeste Maloy, John Curtis and Burgess Owens — all voted in favor of the resolution, which passed 221-212, formally approving an ongoing investigation into Biden, a Democrat.
"Today's vote is about checks and balances," Maloy, who represents Utah's 2nd Congressional District, said in a statement. "Right now, the question is whether the (Biden) administration has an obligation to answer questions from Congress. The answer to that question has to be 'yes.'"
Republican lawmakers hope Wednesday's vote will empower House committees to enforce subpoenas and request documents in relation to the Biden family's business dealings. At the center of allegations of bribery and influence peddling is the president's son, Hunter Biden, who defied a request to testify in a closed-door congressional hearing on Wednesday morning.
In a statement following the vote, Curtis reiterated Congress' responsibility to provide oversight over the executive branch and said the authorization would give committees the tools to do that. But he said more evidence is needed before the House moves to impeach the president.
"Based on public reporting, Hunter Biden's business dealings are at best questionable and at worst criminal. The real question is to what extent President Biden was aware, complicit, or involved in Hunter Biden's actions," said Curtis, who represents Utah's 3rd District. "Today, I voted for an impeachment inquiry to ensure House subpoenas will be upheld in the court system."
Last month, the White House rejected numerous subpoenas sent by House Republicans for Biden family members and administration officials, citing the lack of a formally authorized inquiry.
Owens, who represents Utah's 4th District, referenced the White House's lack of compliance when he said he voted "yes" to find answers for the "American people."
"The White House is working overtime to impede investigations of public corruption at the highest levels of government," Owens said in a press release. "Congress has a constitutional duty to hold President Biden accountable to the law."
Wednesday's resolution directs the committees on Oversight and Accountability, Ways and Means, and the Judiciary to continue their work following three months of investigations. Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy instructed the committees in September to begin an impeachment inquiry of Biden's "abuse of power, obstruction and corruption" without a floor vote.
In intervening months, the Republican-led House committees have heard testimonies and scrutinized documents regarding Hunter Biden's tax evasion and frequent use of his father's name to pressure business partners and secure lucrative deals. But the investigation has so far failed to produce evidence that the president benefited from his son's behavior.
"Instead of doing anything to help make Americans' lives better, (House Republicans) are focused on attacking me with lies," President Biden said in a statement after the vote. "Instead of doing their job on the urgent work that needs to be done, they are choosing to waste time on this baseless political stunt that even Republicans in Congress admit is not supported by facts."
Given the number of House Republicans who represent Biden-leaning districts and the narrowness of the GOP's two-seat majority, it is unlikely an inquiry will result in actual impeachment unless clear proof emerges that the president profited from his family members' foreign business dealings done in his name, according to multiple Republican lawmakers.
If the House were to impeach the president, he would almost certainly remain in office as the Democrat-led Senate would be unlikely to vote to convict him.
