Student Opinion: Biden’s reelection isn’t looking too good
President Joe Biden is setting himself up for a potential impeachment with many of his recent scandals. After several sets of classified documents — which date back to his time as a senator and as vice president — were found in his possession, many, even within his own party, are questioning how he has handled this situation. Additionally, his campaign’s role in covering up the story about Hunter Biden’s laptop during the 2020 election could sink the president’s chances at reelection if he’s not careful.
In October 2020, the New York Post broke a story about a recently discovered laptop belonging to Hunter Biden that contained files detailing how then-candidate Joe Biden may have had corrupt business dealings in the nation of Ukraine. Within hours, Twitter censored the story, blocking anyone from tweeting or even private messaging links to the original article, a move that was later revealed to have been requested by the Biden campaign and the FBI. It is very possible that this cover-up drastically changed the election outcome, with one in six Biden voters saying they would have changed their vote had they known about the laptop.
The controversy at the center of the laptop story has to do with a Ukrainian energy company and its ties to the Biden family. Hunter Biden, who was a member of the advisory board for the company – despite having no relevant experience – introduced his father, the then vice president, to a top official at the company. Less than a year later, Joe Biden pressured the Ukrainian government into firing a prosecutor who was investigating the company.
Just on its own, this story looks bad for the president, but with the recent revelation that the president had troves of classified information both at his home and at other offices — including some documents dealing with Ukraine — things are only getting worse for him. In early January, the Department of Justice revealed it was reviewing a set of classified documents found in an office at the Penn Biden Center, a think tank founded in 2018. The documents reportedly date back to Biden’s time as vice president.
Since then, four other sets of classified documents have been found, most of which were in his garage at his home and date back decades to his time as a senator. Many within Biden’s own party are beginning to turn on him after this incident. Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow called the incident “embarrassing” for the president, and Sen. Dick Durbin implied the president was irresponsible in his handling of the classified material. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer has begun investigating the incident, demanding the Secret Service turn over visitor logs for the Biden home.
Aside from being an electoral liability for the 2024 election, this scandal could give House Republicans the ammunition they need to launch an impeachment investigation into the president. Whether or not this attempt is successful, it could be enough to damage the president’s chances of reelection beyond repair.
Democrats would be smart to begin looking into other options for the 2024 election. If more documents are found, or if there is another scandal linking the Biden family to Ukraine, Biden will become an unelectable liability for the party. Republicans need to make sure to not overplay their hand and to capitalize on this opportunity tactfully, as this could mean the difference between control of the White House and the Senate in less than two years.
Hughes is an opinion writer for the Liberty Champion. Follow him on Twitter