The Republican-led impeachment inquiry into President Biden is set to be formalized with a vote in the House on Wednesday. This move is seen as a way for Republicans to gain more legal authority in investigating the president's family's business dealings. The vote will also force Republicans in districts that Biden won in 2020 to go on record about their support for an investigation that has yet to uncover any wrongdoing by the president.

In recent months, Republicans on the House Oversight, Judiciary, and Ways and Means Committees have been attempting to demonstrate that Biden benefited financially from his family's foreign business dealings and accepted bribes. However, without a formal vote to open an impeachment probe, many Democrats have questioned the legal authority of these investigations.

GOP lawmakers argue that a vote to authorize the inquiry would give them leverage in court as they seek documents and witness testimony. This argument has swayed some Republicans who were previously undecided about supporting a formal inquiry. Republican Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, who represents a district that voted for Biden, explained that he changed his mind about supporting the inquiry because the president stopped providing information. Bacon stated, "I said this summer, if the president is providing information, why do we need an inquiry? But it changed when he stopped doing that."

The resolution to greenlight the investigation outlines rules for public hearings and directs the committees to produce a public report with their findings. Another resolution grants the committee chairmen the authority to request judicial enforcement of their subpoenas for witnesses who refuse to testify. Without formalizing the inquiry, a judge could rule that the committees' subpoenas are outside of their purview.

House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana emphasized the necessity of the vote, citing “stonewalling” from the White House. Johnson explained, "They're refusing to turn over key witnesses to allow them to testify as they've been subpoenaed... They're refusing to turn over thousands of documents." He reassured Republicans that the vote is not about supporting impeachment but rather continuing the investigation.

Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, warned Republicans representing districts won by Biden that Wednesday's vote could be a "slippery slope" toward a vote on impeaching the president. Raskin stated, "It will be a runaway stallion, it will be impossible to stop." Bacon disagreed with the inevitability of impeachment but admitted that it is "probably more likely than not" that impeachment articles will be drafted.

The White House has responded to the impeachment effort with a lengthy memo, pushing back against the allegations of wrongdoing by the president. The memo includes quotes from Republicans and witnesses refuting the claims. The White House stated that Republicans have already obtained thousands of pages of bank records, documents, and hours of testimony, contradicting the accusation of “stonewalling” the investigations. White House spokesperson Ian Sams called the effort a "partisan smear campaign" and criticized Republicans for continuing with the investigation despite admitting there is no evidence to support impeachment.

The vote comes shortly after Hunter Biden, the president's son, was indicted on tax evasion charges. Hunter Biden's personal finances and business ventures have been a focus of the congressional committees investigating whether the president benefited from his family's businesses and if Biden administration officials obstructed criminal investigations into his son. Republicans are eager to interview individuals close to the president, including Hunter Biden, but he has requested an open hearing to prevent the manipulation or distortion of facts. The Oversight Committee has warned Hunter Biden that he could be held in contempt of Congress if he refuses to appear for a deposition on Wednesday.

The vote on Wednesday will be a significant moment in the ongoing battle over President Biden's impeachment. It will determine whether Republicans can formalize their inquiry and gain more legal authority to investigate the president's family's business dealings. The outcome of the vote will have implications for both parties as they continue to navigate the political landscape surrounding President Biden's presidency.