Law professor Jonathan Turley said the House of Representatives must begin an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden's alleged influence-peddling in his son's foreign business dealings.
Turley, a constitutional law scholar at George Washington University, says the greatest case for an impeachment inquiry has been made by Attorney General Merrick Garland himself.
Not only has the Department of Justice dragged out an investigation into Hunter Biden that has seen the statute of limitations expire on major potential crimes, Garland has refused to probe then-Vice President Biden's possible involvement.
And in elevating U.S. Attorney David Weiss to special counsel in the case, Garland disregarded the DOJ's code on special counsels that requires an appointment from outside the department.
"While Garland seems incapable of imagining any crime involving the president, he has made a conclusive — if unintended — case for an impeachment inquiry," Turley wrote.
"With the investigative impediments created by the Weiss appointment and by Garland’s refusal to expressly extend the special counsel’s mandate to the allegations of Biden family influence peddling, there is little choice but to commence an impeachment inquiry. The authority of the House is at its apex when carrying out its duties under the impeachment clause."
Turley basically said Hunter Biden's alleged crimes now take a backseat to any committed by the then-vice president.
"Whatever interest — or ability — remains to prosecute Hunter Biden, Congress has a separate duty to confirm any high crimes and misdemeanors committed by President Biden," Turley wrote. "Indeed, the Democrats themselves established precedent for carrying out retroactive impeachments for prior offices, including any which may have occurred when Biden was vice president.
"With the current state of the Hunter Biden investigation and the baffling conduct of Attorney General Garland, there is no alternative for the House but to launch the impeachment inquiry."
Turley says concerns over the handling of the case began well before the collapse of Hunter Biden's plea deal.
The probe into the first son's tax violations continued while the statute of limitations expired on major potential crimes. Even members of Weiss' team expressed concern, according to two IRS whistleblowers.
"There reportedly was an agreement to extend that period, including on the violations tied to the most controversial alleged payments from sources in Ukraine and other countries," Turley wrote Saturday.
"The two witnesses testified that the Justice Department instead allowed the statute of limitations to expire."
The whistleblowers and a former FBI agent also said the investigation was anything but the "routine," and said the DOJ tipped off the Biden team on attempts to interview Hunter and to conduct searches.
"What followed has bordered on the burlesque," wrote Turley, who then described Hunter Biden's plea deal collapsing before District Judge Maryellen Noreika.
Garland's naming of the special counsel also prevented Weiss and his team from testifying before House committees during an active investigation.
"Weiss could well have a legitimate defense to Republican complaints that he ran a fixed investigation into Hunter or accusations that he made false statements to his own team," Turley wrote.
"However, he clearly remains under suspicion by many people. That is reflected in an ABC News/Ipsos poll in which almost half of Americans lack trust that the DOJ will conduct the Hunter Biden investigation in a 'fair and nonpartisan manner.'"
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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