US President Joe Biden lashed after the US House of Representatives has voted to formalise its impeachment inquiry, accusing Republican politicians of a "baseless political stunt".
In a statement released by the White House, Biden claimed his opponents were attacking him "with lies".
The Republican-controlled House chamber voted 221-212 along party lines to approve the probe, which is examining whether Biden improperly benefited from his 53-year-old son Hunter Biden's foreign business dealings, hours after the younger Biden refused a call to testify behind closed doors.
While the probe is unlikely to lead to the President being removed from office, it keeps intense pressure on the Democrat as he runs for re-election in 2024.
Joe Biden snapped after the impeachment probe was formalisedPAAn informal impeachment probe to investigate Biden's actions was initially started months ago.
Following the vote, Republican Representative Jim Jordan said: "The House has now spoken, and I think pretty loudly, pretty clearly with every single Republican voting in favour of moving into this official impeachment inquiry phase of our constitutional duty to do oversight."
Meanwhile Representative Nick LaLota of New York added: "The average New Yorker is mighty suspicious of folks from the president's family making tens of millions of dollars in professions in which they had no experience - seems a little fuzzy."
Snapping at the result of the vote, Biden chastised House Republicans for not acting on his request for any of his domestic priorities or providing emergency funding for Ukraine and Israel.
Republican Representative Jim Jordan said the House had spoken 'pretty loudly, pretty clearly'
REUTERS
Hunter Biden defied a committee subpoena to testify behind closed doors just hours earlier
REUTERS
"House Republicans are not joining me. Instead of doing anything to help make Americans' lives better, they are focused on attacking me with lies," he said.
The vote came hours after the President's son defied a committee subpoena to testify behind closed doors — saying he would testify only in public as he feared his words would otherwise be misrepresented.
Hunter Biden said: "There is no evidence to support the allegations that my father was financially involved in my business, because it did not happen."
The 53-year-old, who has described his struggles with drug and alcohol addiction, has also been the subject of a years-long criminal investigation.
He faces federal charges that he lied about his drug use while buying a handgun and separate charges of failing to pay $1.4million in taxes.
He has pleaded not guilty to the gun charges, and his lawyer says he has repaid his taxes in full.
"In the depths of my addiction, I was extremely irresponsible with my finances. But to suggest that is grounds for an impeachment inquiry is beyond the absurd. It's shameless," he said.
