Editor,
Re: “House passes Biden impeachment inquiry along party lines” (Mid Hudson News, December 14): New York Congressman Mike Lawler justifies his vote to begin an official impeachment inquiry into President Biden by reciting Republican talking points about bank transactions and “shell” companies associated with Hunter Biden’s business dealings.
Hunter Biden appears to be a scoundrel who traded on his family name to land lucrative seats on corporate boards of directors. He has admitted to drug use and faces prosecution for tax evasion and the illegal purchase of a gun. However, exhaustive research by three House Committees, CNN, and the Washington Post has failed to show that his father Joe Biden, who was Vice President during most of his son’s misbehavior, was in any way involved in his son’s business dealings.
In addition, the independent prosecutor handling the investigation against Hunter Biden (with full subpoena powers) has found no connection between the President and his son’s misdeeds.
There is nothing wrong with investigating elected officials or members of their family. That’s the beauty of a free press and an independent judiciary. But in the absence of any evidence of wrong-doing by the President, the Republican impeachment inquiry is, at the very least, premature. The impeachment investigations of Presidents Nixon, Clinton, and Trump concerned actions taken while they were in office and were undertaken in response to clear evidence of wrong doing. The current investigation, based as it is on rumor and innuendo, appears to be a campaign tactic rather than a sincere effort to uncover “high crimes and misdemeanors.”
In addition, Congress has plenty on its plate right now, including funding the government, providing oversight of military aid to Ukraine and Israel, and reforming our system for immigration. One might hope that Congress can “walk and chew gum at the same time,” but the Republicans’ inability, over weeks at a time, to select a House Speaker, makes me wonder if that is true.
The obsession with impeachment demonstrated by some of Lawler’s Republican colleagues seems mostly about retribution for the legal troubles of his predecessor. I wish Rep. Lawler would distinguish himself from the “impeachment caucus” of his party and instead work to address the issues that are important to the residents of our district.
Rob Abbot
Croton-on-Hudson
Croton-on-Hudson
