Biden impeachment inquiry hearing: First witnesses, what to know

The House Oversight Committee on Thursday will hear from the first slate of witnesses in Republicans‘ impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.

GOP leadership on the committee has been investigating Biden and his family members for months over allegations that the president conducted improper business dealings with his son, Hunter, while serving as vice president alongside former President Barack Obama. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy gave the green light on an impeachment inquiry into the allegations earlier this month.

“This week, the House Oversight Committee will present evidence uncovered to date and hear from legal and financial experts about crimes the Bidens may have committed as they brought in millions at the expense of U.S. interests,” Kentucky Representative James Comer, Republican chair of the Oversight Committee, said in a statement Monday.

The hearing is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. EST. A livestream will be made available for the public and members of the press to watch the proceedings through the committee website.

Who’s Testifying? Meet the Witnesses

Lawmakers on Thursday will hear from three witnesses: Bruce Dubinsky, a forensic accounting expert; Eileen O’Conner, former assistant attorney general at the Justice Department’s Tax Division; and Jonathan Turley, an attorney and professor at George Washington University Law School.

Dubinsky works at SEDA Experts, an expert witness firm that specializes in financial services. According to his biography on the firm’s site, he has over 40 years of financial investigative consulting experience and is a “frequent contributor” at major news outlets including Fox News and CBS News.

O’Conner worked at the Department of Justice from July 2001 to June 2007. Prior to her appointment to the department, she also served as corporate tax law specialist at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). She has also participated at events with The Federalist Society, a conservative legal advocacy organization.

Turley, a law professor and legal commentator, was previously called upon by Republicans to testify during the first meeting for the House Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government back in February.

According to Comer, Thursday’s hearing will focus on the validity of the impeachment inquiry and the evidence uncovered. Last week, the House Oversight chair told CNN that he planned to bring in a financial expert to speak about the bank records related to the Biden family’s business, as well as a constitutional expert to discuss why the impeachment inquiry is warranted.

What Are the Accusations Against Biden?

At the heart of the GOP investigation is Biden’s alleged involvement in business dealings involving his son, Hunter, and the Ukrainian energy firm Burisma. No public evidence exists that directly ties the president to Hunter Biden‘s involvement with Burisma.

Republicans also have alleged that Biden received millions of dollars in payments from foreign businesses. Records again, however, have only pointed to Hunter Biden and the president’s brother, Jimmy, as the recipients of such payments.

Other accusations included in the GOP’s investigation include alleged bribery deals, suspicious business dealings and controversy over the Hunter Biden laptop that was the focus point of a New York Post article in the month leading up to the 2020 election.

White House Says Impeachment Is a ‘Political Stunt’

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has also repeatedly dismissed the allegations against the president, calling the impeachment inquiry a “political stunt” after McCarthy announced that Republicans were moving forward with the investigation. Some Republican members of Congress have also said that the impeachment inquiry is a waste of time for the caucus.

“I don’t know quite why, but they just knew they wanted to impeach me,” Biden told donors at a fundraiser in Virginia earlier this month, reported Reuters. “Now, the best I can tell, they want to impeach me because they want to shut down the government.”

Newsweek reached out to the White House via email Monday night for comment.