Biden's brother to testify in impeachment inquiry Feb. 21

By Katharine Jackson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Joe Biden's brother, James Biden, will appear on Feb. 21 for an interview with lawmakers conducting an impeachment inquiry into the president, the Republican-led U.S. House Oversight Committee said on Wednesday.

"We look forward to his testimony," the committee said on social media platform X.

The House of Representatives voted along party lines in December to formally authorize the inquiry, following months of probes by Republicans who allege that Biden and his family personally profited from policy decisions he made as vice president during former President Barack Obama's administration.

The White House has dismissed the inquiry as unsubstantiated by facts and politically motivated.

The committee in November subpoenaed James Biden and the president's son, Hunter Biden, to appear for depositions.

Hunter Biden will appear on Feb. 28 before the House Oversight and House Judiciary committees, according to a statement issued by the committee chairs.

Hunter Biden agreed earlier this month to testify after the committees moved ahead with efforts to hold him in contempt for saying he would only appear in a public hearing.

The impeachment effort will almost certainly fail to remove Biden from office. Even if the House votes to impeach the president, the Senate would then have to vote to convict him on the charges by a two-thirds vote — a near-impossibility in a chamber where Biden's fellow Democrats hold a 51-49 majority.

(Reporting by Katharine Jackson, Jasper Ward; Editing by Alistair Bell)