House GOP sets up impeachment floor vote; says Biden 'stonewalling' investigations

House Republicans are planning to move forward with holding a formal vote on the impeachment inquiry against President Biden Wednesday on the House floor after the Biden Administration and Hunter Biden himself refuse to cooperate with their investigation.

“This vote will allow the House Judiciary, Oversight and Ways and Means committees to continue their investigations. The evidence mounting against the president cannot be ignored,” House Majority Whip Tom Emmer told reporters on Wednesday.

“We know Joe Biden has lied to or misled the American people about his knowledge of his son's business dealings over and over again, and it is very likely that he was involved in and benefited from his family's corrupt business dealings as well,” he added.

Republicans point to Northern International Capital, an affiliate of a Chinese energy company, wiring $5 million to Hunter Biden's company Hudson West III in 2018. An IRS whistleblower has confirmed the payment. House Republicans have said President Biden subsequently received a $40,000 check classified as a loan repayment. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer has said the $40,000 derived from China.

Emmer argued that the Biden administration “has been stonewalling” GOP-led House investigations.

“The Department of Justice has refused to allow two attorneys to testify before the Judiciary Committee. The White House sent Chairmen Comer and Jordan a letter stating they have no intention of complying with our subpoenas and requests for interviews without a formal vote,” Emmer said.

“And the National Archives has withheld thousands of pages of documents and emails. It's clear the House will have to defend our lawful investigations in court and passing this resolution will put us in the best position possible to enforce our subpoenas and set forth a clear process,” he added.

Democrats criticized the impeachment inquiry vote, calling it "unhinged."

"The House GOP's impeachment inquiry is nothing more than a political stunt to get back at Democrats and undermine the legitimacy of President Biden," said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass. "They’re upset Trump lost the 2020 election, so they're doing everything they can to overturn it. It's unhinged and dangerous."

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan has said that the House taking the step of approving an impeachment inquiry resolution would help investigators take depositions from Hunter Biden's business associates, including his uncle James Biden and associates Tony Bobulinski and Rob Walker.

Hunter Biden recently said, through his lawyer, that he is only willing to testify in public, rather than in a private deposition. Jordan said House Republicans want a private deposition from Hunter before any public hearing takes place.

"We want him to come public. I'd love to have him on the witness stand," Jordan said in response to a question from Just the News. "But we do think it's important to do the private depositions first and we would love a sequence to it. We’d love to have [Rob] Walker and [Eric] Schwerin and [Kevin] Morris and Jim Biden and then Hunter and then [Sally] Painter and [Karen] Tramontano. We’d love to have them probably in a sequence something like that."

Hunter came to Capitol Hill on Wednesday and made a public statement but he did not show up for a private deposition. 

House Republicans have said they plan to hold him in contempt of Congress after refusing the private deposition. 

The impeachment inquiry vote is scheduled to take place in the GOP-led House on Wednesday, according to House Majority Leader Steve Scalise. 

Emmer emphasized that “voting in favor of an impeachment inquiry does not equal impeachment.”

“We will continue to follow the facts wherever they lead. And if they uncover evidence of treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors, then and only then will the next steps towards impeachment proceedings be considered,” he said. “No one in this country is above the law and that includes President Joe Biden.”