Republican hardliners make push to impeach Joe Biden
- Republican ultraconservatives want to fast track impeachments of President Joe Biden, other top US government officials
- Some are eager to impeach Biden as retribution after Donald Trump was twice impeached by the House
Republicans have voted to kick-start the formalities that could lead to Joe Biden’s impeachment, as far-right lawmakers sought to seize the-party’s agenda and escalate a bitter stand-off with the US president.
The Republican-controlled House of Representatives on Thursday voted along party lines to refer a resolution that accuses the 80-year-old Democrat of “abuse of power” and “dereliction of duty” to the judiciary and homeland security committees.
Republicans accuse Biden of failing to control immigration, leading to the country’s “complete and total invasion” and “surrender of operational control” of the US-Mexico border to “foreign, criminal cartels”.
Democrats say the Republicans are simply deflecting attention from the mushrooming legal woes of former president Donald Trump, who faces more than 70 felony counts of financial fraud, mishandling government secrets and obstructing law enforcement.
Biden’s son Hunter has agreed to admit federal tax evasion charges after a probe into his financial affairs, but critics have provided no evidence of any wrongdoing ever by the president himself.
“You can’t make this stuff up. Their extremism continues to be on full display,” House Democratic minority leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters in Congress.