House Rules Committee to consider resolution to formalize Biden impeachment inquiry
The House Rules Committee is set to meet Tuesday morning to consider a resolution that would formalize the impeachment inquiry against President Biden.
The House Rules Committee is set to meet Tuesday morning to consider a resolution that would formalize the impeachment inquiry against President Biden.
If the resolution framework is passed out of committee, a source familiar told Fox News Digital that a full House vote on the floor to formalize the investigation could take place as soon as Wednesday.
The House impeachment inquiry, which is led by House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan and Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, was launched by then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in September.
While the inquiry was launched, it was never formally voted on the House floor.
Sources familiar with the effort to formalize the inquiry told Fox News Digital that the move would strengthen subpoena power for the committees as part of their investigation.
CONGRESS AIMS TO HOLD VOTE TO INITIATE BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY
A formalized inquiry would strengthen existing subpoenas in court and force individuals to comply, as Biden officials and family members — like Hunter Biden — have pushed back on their compelled testimony or document production.
For example, Hunter Biden was subpoenaed for a deposition set for Dec. 13, but his attorney, Abbe Lowell, said the president’s son would not comply and would only testify in a public setting. Comer and Jordan have threatened to hold the president’s son in contempt of Congress if he doesn't show up on Wednesday.
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The chairmen are investigating any foreign money received by the Biden family, whether President Biden was involved in his family’s foreign business dealings, and steps allegedly taken by the Biden administration to "slow, hamper, or otherwise impede the criminal investigation into the President’s son, Hunter Biden, which involves funds received by the Biden family from foreign sources."
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The top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., has been quietly and informally meeting with Republicans ahead of the meeting in an effort to quash the inquiry altogether.
Sources said Raskin has been meeting with "right-wing to more moderate members" in an effort to counter GOP arguments, investigative steps and evidence collected throughout the investigation.
Those sources told Fox News Digital that some Republicans, in recent days, have been "especially receptive to seeing the Administration’s record of cooperation with investigators."
NATIONAL ARCHIVES TO HAND OVER 62,000 BIDEN RECORDS TO HOUSE GOP, INCLUDING EMAILS USING ALIASES
Meanwhile, Fox News Digital has obtained "fact sheets" that House Oversight Democrats plan to share with both Democrats and Republicans to support their efforts to quash the impeachment inquiry.
"These fact sheets are a hat-in-hand, fact-based appeal to House Republicans," a senior House Democrat aide told Fox News Digital. "Republicans may not be getting all of the facts from Mr. Comer, so we are making sure that they have the full picture as they decide whether to endorse this impeachment effort."
But Comer told Fox News Digital that it is "ironic Democrats continue to say there is no evidence and then at every turn seek to prevent the Oversight Committee from gathering evidence."
JOE BIDEN RECEIVED $40K IN 'LAUNDERED CHINA MONEY' FROM BROTHER IN 2017, COMER SAYS
"Despite Democrats' best efforts, the House Oversight Committee has produced evidence revealing Joe Biden knew about, participated in and benefited from his family cashing in on the Biden last name," Comer told Fox News Digital. "We will continue to follow the facts and hold this president accountable for his corruption."
The White House has blasted the inquiry. President Biden has maintained he has never been in business with his son or spoken to him about his foreign business ventures.
