The White House is bracing for political trench warfare after prosecutors pursuing Joe Biden’s son on a gun possession charge said they would seek a criminal indictment by the end of September.
The prospect of Hunter Biden standing trial is likely to energise Republicans preparing to launch an impeachment inquiry into the president even as Congress tries to avert a government shutdown.
The White House has reportedly set up a “war room” of two dozen lawyers and aides to combat the Republican effort, partly by studying how Bill Clinton turned his 1998 impeachment to his political advantage.
Long a political liability for his father, Hunter Biden bought a pistol in 2018 and allegedly lied on a federal form by stating he was not a drug user at the time. In a Wednesday court filing, the special counsel David Weiss said the government would seek a grand jury indictment before 29 September.
The development followed the collapse of a plea deal under which Hunter Biden would have entered into a deferred prosecution agreement over the gun charge and pleaded guilty to tax charges too. The younger Biden’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, insists the deal is still in effect.
“We believe the signed and filed diversion agreement remains valid and prevents any additional charges from being filed against Mr Biden, who has been abiding by the conditions of release under that agreement for the last several weeks,” Lowell said.
The case has become a political lightning rod. Republicans accused the justice department of concocting a “sweetheart deal” and raised the prospect of impeaching the president over unsubstantiated claims that he played a role in his son’s foreign business affairs during his time as vice-president.
Hunter has been the target of congressional investigations since Republicans gained control of the House in January. Three committees are pursuing lines of inquiry. They have obtained thousands of pages of financial records from members of the Biden family through subpoenas to the treasury department and financial institutions.
But Republicans have failed to produce evidence that Biden directly participated in his son’s work, though he sometimes had dinner with clients or greeted them on calls.
Dan Goldman, a Democratic congressman from New York, told reporters gathered by the Congressional Integrity Project watchdog: “Yes, there are bank records, there are emails, there are text messages. So in that regard, the Republicans are correct. The Republicans are incorrect, however, in asserting that any of those documents provides a link to President Biden or demonstrates any kind of misconduct.”
Goldman, who before running for office was lead counsel in the first impeachment of Donald Trump, added: “Whatever misconduct Hunter Biden may have done is being dealt with by the Department of Justice. But there is no evidence in any way, shape or form that links President Biden to anything that Hunter Biden was doing. And so here we are heading into a so-called impeachment inquiry based on fiction.”
Although Senate Republicans have voiced scepticism, the momentum behind an impeachment inquiry in the House may prove unstoppable. The speaker, Kevin McCarthy, told Fox News recently: “If you look at all the information we have been able to gather so far, it is a natural step forward that you would have to go to an impeachment inquiry.”
Trump – the clear frontrunner for the presidential nomination in 2024 despite facing 91 criminal charges in four jurisdictions and civil lawsuits too – is urging Republicans to move quickly. He told Real America’s Voice: “I don’t know actually how a Republican could not do it. I think a Republican would be primaried and lose immediately, no matter what district you’re in.”
The White House is preparing for battle, its “war room” of lawyers, legislative aides, messaging experts and others ready to counter the Republican narrative. Their work includes studying past impeachments to help establish effective strategies.
Clinton’s impeachment for perjury and obstruction of justice over his affair with Monica Lewinsky came to be seen by many voters as a case of Republican overreach. Clinton’s approval rating soared above 70%, the highest of his presidency. Biden’s rating is in the low 40s.
An unnamed White House aide was quoted by NBC as saying: “Comparing this to past impeachments isn’t apples to apples, or even apples to oranges; it’s apples to elephants. Never in modern history has an impeachment been based on no evidence whatsoever.”
An impeachment inquiry would be sure to enflame America’s bitter political divisions ahead of next year’s presidential election, a likely Biden-Trump rematch. Trump faces criminal and civil trials of his own.
It would also collide with efforts to prevent a shutdown of the federal government. The House is scheduled to meet for just 11 days before the fiscal year ends on 30 September. Members are under pressure to come up with short-term funding to keep government offices functioning and provide emergency funding for Ukraine and disaster relief.
McCarthy faces resistance from fellow Republicans, including far-right members who have threatened to shut the government unless they get the impeachment they crave. Marjorie Taylor Greene posted a video, declaring she “will not vote to fund the government” unless the House holds a vote to open an impeachment inquiry.
Some have threatened to oust McCarthy if he stands in the way. Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader in the Senate, admitted last week: “Honestly, it’s a pretty big mess.”
