Biden impeachment probe looms over GOP meeting on spending cuts to prevent gov’t shutdown

Transcript

00:00 A news overseas a looming impeachment inquiry on US President Joe Biden.

00:04 With no evidence of wrongdoing, he profited illegally from his son's previous business dealings

00:10 when he was vice president, casts a shadow on the GOP House members,

00:15 pushing for spending cuts and threaten a shutdown of government if not approved.

00:20 V.O.A.'s Arash Arabasadi tells us more in this report.

00:26 U.S. President Joe Biden attended church in his home state of Delaware just days after

00:31 Republicans in the House of Representatives opened an impeachment inquiry citing an alleged

00:36 pattern of corruption. The White House calls it a political stunt. This past week, House

00:41 Speaker Kevin McCarthy addressed the media outside his office at the United States Capitol.

00:46 House Republicans have uncovered serious and credible allegations into President Biden's

00:52 conduct. Taken together, these allegations paint a picture of a culture of corruption.

01:01 McCarthy went on to describe the allegations as an abuse of power,

01:05 obstruction and corruption that warrant further investigation by the House of Representatives.

01:10 Democrats say this is pandering partisan politics at its worst.

01:14 The White House has cooperated and I believe the White House will continue to cooperate because

01:19 there is nothing to hide. There is no facts in the record to suggest that President Biden engaged

01:26 in wrongdoing. There are no facts on the record to suggest that President Biden engaged in impeachable

01:32 offenses. There are no facts on the record to suggest that President Biden broke the law in

01:38 any way, shape or form. This is an illegitimate impeachment inquiry. Republicans say they want

01:44 more information related to the allegations. The facts are everywhere. There are text messages,

01:50 there are emails, there are witnesses, there are whistleblowers, there are meetings,

01:54 there are phone calls, there are dinners. And you can't say, hey, there's a little bit of smoke,

01:59 we're not going to follow the fire. Former President Donald Trump, the current Republican

02:03 frontrunner for the presidency himself, facing more than 40 felony counts in multiple court cases,

02:09 says he supports a government shutdown if House Republicans don't get what he called a fair deal

02:14 on a short-term spending bill. The details of such a fair deal remain unclear. Biden and McCarthy's

02:21 futures are intertwined in this impeachment inquiry. After issuing one, the full House votes

02:26 on whether the president should be impeached, triggering a trial in the Senate if the vote is

02:31 yes. Meanwhile, the House has just a handful of working days in session to pass a short-term

02:37 continuing resolution or risk a government shutdown. Some conservative Republicans are

02:42 demanding spending cuts lower than what Speaker McCarthy agreed to in a budget deal with Biden

02:47 earlier this year. Arash Sharabasati, VOA News.