President Joe Biden refused to answer — appearing to blankly stare into the distance — when questioned for the first time about the House impeachment inquiry about him for “abuse of power, obstruction, and corruption.”
During a meeting with his Cancer Cabinet in the White House, Joe Biden refused to answer questions about the inquiry, appearing to blankly stare, lick his lips, and rub his hands before leaning over to first lady Jill Biden.
The video showed Jill Biden point to her left, causing Joe Biden to scan the room while questions rang out from reporters for over 30 seconds about the newly launched inquiry.
After refusing to answer questions, White House staffers ushered reporters from the room:
Joe Biden’s silence came after Wednesday’s White House press conference, when White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre refused to speculate about whether Joe Biden would fully cooperate with the inquiry.
She also refused to say how Joe Biden reacted to the news of the inquiry but alleged that Joe Biden was innocent of any wrongdoing.
“He [Joe Biden] didn’t dp anything wrong,” she said. “I mean, that is what we’ve heard over and over again from almost a clear year-long investigation.”
The House opened the impeachment inquiry based on four pieces of evidence, according to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA):
- House investigators found that Joe Biden lied about his involvement in the family business
- Bank records show many payments were directed to Biden family members through shell companies
- An FBI informant file alleges Joe Biden was bribed by a Ukrainian energy executive
- Joe Biden “offered special treatment” to Hunter Biden amid his Justice Department’s tax probe into his son.
“Taken together, these allegations paint a picture of a culture of corruption,” McCarthy said Tuesday. “These are allegations of abuse of power, obstruction, and corruption. They warrant further investigation by the House of Representatives.”
Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-OH) told Fox News Wednesday morning that the inquiry will empower the Republican’s potential legal action to compel the White House to divulge relevant information in court.
“When we get into the inevitable game that’s going to play out here [in court], where we want certain documents — we want certain witnesses to be deposed … So when that happens, I think that [the inquiry] gives added weight,” Jordan explained.
House Oversight Committee’s spokeswoman Jessica Collins told Punchbowl News Tuesday that the next step in the inquiry is to obtain Hunter and James Biden’s personal and business bank records as well as conduct interviews with additional Biden associates.
Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality.
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