Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) introduced articles of impeachment against President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday.
Ogles’ articles allege that Biden has “weaponized” his presidency and vice presidency to “shield the business and influence peddling schemes of his family from congressional oversight and public accountability.”
“Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have refused to protect and defend the Constitution. They have mired their office in criminal activity and political weaponization. It is time their corruption be brought to task with the full force of the law,” Ogles wrote on Twitter.
The first article of impeachment accuses Biden of failing to comply with multiple information requests, involvement in the establishment of companies for financial schemes, and interference in Ukrainian affairs.
In particular, the first article accuses Biden of obscuring oversight despite promising transparency. It states as examples that Biden allegedly failed to supply requested information to Members of Congress about various matters, such as requesting Suspicious Activity Reports related to the Biden family, information about Hunter Biden’s connections to the Chinese Communist Party, and inquiries about the Biden family’s use of Air Force Two for business transactions with Chinese nationals.
The articles also mention the establishment of several companies by Biden family members and their associates, which were allegedly used to funnel millions of dollars to the Biden family and obscure the sources of those funds, including a payment of $1,065,000 over a three-month period from a Chinese company to a family associate.
Biden is also accused of withholding “a critical FD–1023 form until threatened with a congressional subpoena.” The form “reportedly details a bribery scheme” in which Biden and members of his family allegedly “received $5,000,000 each to assist Burisma Holdings,” a Ukrainian company on whose board Hunter Biden served.
The second article alleges that Biden directly facilitated the ongoing crisis at the southern border, endangering the American people. It highlights the significant increase in drug seizures, illegal border crossings, and the administration’s purported failure to utilize powers provided by Congress to address the situation effectively.
Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) also introduced articles of impeachment against Biden on Tuesday. The basis for her articles also claims that Biden has mishandled his “constitutional duty to secure our southern border.”
Articles Allege Violation of Public Trust
Ogles’ resolution alleges the president has, with respect to all the allegations, acted in a “manner contrary to the public trust and subversive of constitutional government, to the great prejudice of the cause of law and justice and to the manifest injury of the people of the United States.”
The resolution calls for his impeachment, trial, removal from office, and disqualification from holding any future office of honor, trust, or profit under the United States.
“Joe Biden hasn’t just failed the American people with his abysmal excuse for ‘leadership’—he’s violated his sworn oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States,” Ogles told Fox News.
Ogles further accused Biden of repeatedly misusing his position of power, both as vice president and president, to conceal his family’s alleged questionable business dealings and misuse of taxpayer resources.
“The American people know they can’t depend on the so-called ‘Department of Justice’ to investigate the Biden family’s corruption, and so it’s up to the U.S. Congress to hold him accountable once and for all,” Ogles added.
The fate of the impeachment articles is unclear as Republican support for impeaching Biden is small in the House.
Regarding Harris, the articles of impeachment specifically address her handling of the southern border crisis. They accuse her of displaying incompetence and indifference to the suffering of Americans affected by the crisis. The resolution highlights her refusal to visit the border and address the root causes, except for a distant trip that did not address the central issues.
The resolution also cites statistics on drug seizures and fentanyl trafficking at the southwest border, noting significant increases compared to previous years. It emphasizes the public health and safety implications, including drug overdose deaths and migrant fatalities.
According to the resolution, Harris has betrayed the public trust, posing a threat to national security and the Constitution. It argues that her actions are inconsistent with self-governance and the rule of law, justifying her impeachment, trial, removal from office, and disqualification from holding any future office of honor, trust, or profit under the United States.
The impeachment resolution comes as Biden is under scrutiny from a special counsel investigation regarding how he dealt with classified documents following his tenure as vice president in 2017.
