The Republican speaker of the US House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, gave the go-ahead on Tuesday for an impeachment investigation into President Joe Biden.

Some lawmakers on the right flank had said they would try to remove McCarthy as House leader if he did not forge ahead with an impeachment effort against Biden.

What the House Speaker said

McCarthy said the Democratic president lied to the American people about his son Hunter Biden's foreign business dealings. He said the House Oversight Committee's investigation had found a "culture of corruption" around the Biden family. 

"I am directing our House committees to open a formal impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden," McCarthy told reporters. "We will go where the evidence takes us."

"These are allegations of abuse of power, obstruction and corruption, and they warrant further investigation by the House of Representatives."

The inquiry will be led by Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, in coordination with Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan and Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith.

Republicans are keen to probe the business affairs of Hunter Biden while his father was vice president under Barack Obama. They claim he traded on his father's status in an influence-peddling scheme while sitting on the board of Ukraine energy company Burisma almost a decade ago.

However, there has so far been no credible evidence linking the president to illegal activities.

Democrats dismissive of probe

The White House condemned the decision as "extreme politics at its worst."

"House Republicans have been investigating the President for nine months, and they've turned up no evidence of wrongdoing," Ian Sams, White House spokesman for oversight and investigations, said on X, the social media network formerly known as Twitter.

Democrats say the Republican impeachment efforts are intended to distract public attention from the legal battles facing former US President Donald Trump. Trump faces four separate criminal indictments as he seeks his party's nomination to face Biden in the 2024 US election

Ammar Moussa, a spokesperson for Biden's re-election campaign, called the impeachment inquiry a "political stunt."

How likely is the move to succeed?

Congress has the power to impeach federal officials — including the president — for treason, bribery, and "other high crimes and misdemeanors."

Presidents can be removed from office if the House firstly approves articles of impeachment by a simple majority and the Senate votes to convict after holding a trial by a two-thirds supermajority.

Any impeachment effort against Biden would be unlikely to succeed. It is uncertain that the Republican-controlled House would vote to impeach Biden, given the narrow 222-212 vote margin. Even if it did, the move would almost certainly fail in the Democratic-controlled Senate.

rc/jcg (AFP, AP, Reuters)