House Republicans set first Biden impeachment inquiry hearing for September 28

Washington : House Republicans plan to hold their first hearing next week in their impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden over his family's business dealings.

The hearing — scheduled for Sept 28 — is expected to focus on “constitutional and legal questions” that surround allegations of Biden's involvement in his son Hunter's overseas businesses, according to a spokesperson for the House Oversight Committee.

Republicans — led by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy — have contended in recent weeks that Biden's actions from his time as vice president show a “culture of corruption”. The committee also plans to file subpoenas for the personal and business bank records of Hunter Biden and the president's brother James Biden “as early as this week”.

The White House has called the effort by House Republicans in the midst of the presidential campaign “extreme politics at its worst”. “House Republicans have been investigating the president for nine months, and they've turned up no evidence of wrongdoing,” Ian Sams, a White House spokesman, said in a recent statement.

McCarthy announced the impeachment inquiry last week after facing mounting pressure from his right flank to take action against Biden or risk being ousted from his leadership job. This is happening while he also is struggling to pass legislation needed to avoid a federal government shutdown at the end of the month.

The California lawmaker launched the inquiry without a House vote, and it's unclear if he would even have enough support to approve it from his slim GOP majority. Some lawmakers have criticised the evidence so far as not reaching the Constitution's bar of “high crimes and misdemeanours”.