House Republicans could break away from tradition by skipping a floor vote to open an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, a proceeding that has been used as a step in almost all federal impeachment efforts.
There is a possibility that the Republican-controlled House will move impeachment proceedings into Biden if he refuses to provide documents requested about the Biden family’s business dealings.
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House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) reportedly wants to start the process by the end of September. However, the party lacks the 218 votes in the House to launch an impeachment inquiry, but House rules or the Constitution do not require a floor vote to start an impeachment inquiry despite the measure being initiated in impeachment proceedings more than 60 times.
Democrats in the House did not conduct an official inquiry into former President Donald Trump in 2021, moving to charge him with inciting an insurrection at the Capitol. However, Democrats did introduce an impeachment inquiry during his first impeachment in 2019. Trump was acquitted on all counts by the Senate in both cases.
The process to impeach an official starts with the Judiciary Committee, which will decide whether or not to pursue articles of impeachment and file them to the House. The House can impeach an official by a simple majority. If passed through the House, the Senate will hold an impeachment trial, and if the accused is found guilty, the official is removed and barred from holding office.
Ultimately, the decision to move forward with the impeachment inquiry without a vote is up to McCarthy and whether or not he believes it'll be beneficial to hard-right members who want Biden held accountable. However, the House Republicans still could lack the votes required to move the trial to the Senate, which is a simple majority vote, 50% plus one, adding up to 218 votes.
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“Well, we have been out on summer recess,” McCarthy said on Fox News over the weekend when asked about the votes needed. “When we go back, we’ll discuss this. But we find new information every week.”
The White House and Biden have denied any involvement in suspicious activities related to his son, Hunter Biden, and allegations of bribery and foreign business dealings, with White House spokesman Ian Sams on Monday calling the idea of an inquiry a “baseless impeachment exercise.”