Following rampant speculation, the prospect of President Joe Biden getting impeached has become a real possibility.

The first hearing for the congressional impeachment inquiry against Biden took place on Thursday, Sept. 28, facilitated by the House Oversight Committee. Speaker of the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy [R-CA] announced the beginnings of the process last Tuesday, solidifying the procedure of impeachment.

Underlining the conflicts on capitol hill are political power plays and the strategic weaponization of government affairs, illuminating how neutral processes like impeachment have become politicized overtime. 

The case in context

On Sept. 13, McCarthy directed the House to open an impeachment inquiry against President Biden for what he called a “culture of corruption”. Though this is the first time an attempt to impeach him in a formal inquiry, the grounds of the case are anything but new.

“There are allegations of abuse of power, obstruction and corruption, and they warrant further investigation by the House of Representatives,” said McCarthy.

Promoters of the allegations claim Biden used his power as Vice President from 2009 to 2017 in order to unjustly benefit his own family. In particular, they allege the now president was aware of, involved in, and benefitting from Hunter’s illegal affairs internationally in nations such as Ukraine, a position they argue Hunter would not have acquired if it was not for his father.

The Biden family is accused of receiving $20 million in payment through shell companies, bribing a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent, having their financial transactions flagged as suspicious by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and Biden himself participating in calls and private dinners with Hunter’s business associates.

Though not directly related to the impeachment inquiry, Hunter has consistently faced political scrutiny for drug-related offenses on top of supposedly shady business dealings, so far as to be indicted on felony charges on Sept. 14, a point Biden’s predecessor and opponent, former president Donald Trump, and his allies have used to criticize him.

Though evidence exists to legally implicate Hunter Biden, the same cannot be said of his father.

“There are no facts on the record to suggest that President Biden engaged in impeachable offenses,” said Hakeem Jeffries [D-NY], House democratic minority leader.

Biden himself claims the inquiry is unfounded, calling it “extreme politics at its worst.”

While the president has denied ever engaging in his son’s most scrutinized activities, he has also denied ever speaking with his associates, contradicting public evidence. McCarthy claims his communication indicates his involvement in Hunter’s alleged crimes, justifying the impeachment process. However, evidence of Biden’s direct participation in alleged crimes has never been uncovered.

Public perception is split down the middle, primarily by partisan lines. Just under 50 percent of polled Americans believe the probe into Biden is justified, whilst a similar percentage think it is politically motivated.

No concrete evidence proving political plotting exists, but circumstantial proof illuminates the possibility.

In the 2022 midterm elections, the Republican Party (GOP) won a majority of seats in the House. However, polling backed by historical trends suggested the election would be a “red wave”, featuring numerous landslide victories for republicans. This was not the case, seeing as the republican majority is extremely slim, having only a few more seats than democrats. Consequently, McCarthy took an unprecedented 15 rounds of voting to become Speaker of the House, and internal conflict within his party has brought him major difficulties.

The GOP is currently experiencing strong internal divides based on ideology and level of political affiliation with Trump, a republican who reshaped the party to fit his political stances during the 2016 presidential election.

GOP members who are fiercely loyal to Trump also hold negative views of Biden, having called for his impeachment or resignation from office on several occasions. As such, speculation that McCarthy has moved forward with impeachment to appease these members of the party has gained popularity. The notion has become especially publicized because the inquiry exists not as an isolated incident, but part of a broader trend.

As for now, how this attempt to impeach President Biden will go down is uncertain.