The House of Representatives approved a resolution on Wednesday to formalize an impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden. The vote was along party lines‚ 221 to 212. BREAKING: The House has officially passed the resolution formally opening an Impeachment Inquiry into Joe Biden. pic.twitter.com/h1TSEuN8uz — Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) December 13‚ 2023 “The evidence developed against the Biden Crime Family is d***ing. They took bribes from corrupt foreigners for the financial benefit of themselves and their family. They created a vast web of shell companies to wash the money. They lied about it and pressured federal law enforcement to protect them from their crimes. An impeachment inquiry is warranted‚ though insufficient to deal with the harm they have caused‚” Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) commented. Today I voted to advance an impeachment inquiry against Joe Biden. The evidence developed against the Biden Crime Family is damning. They took bribes from corrupt foreigners for the financial benefit of themselves and their family. They created a vast web of shell companies to… — Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) December 13‚ 2023 WATCH: BREAKING: The House of Representatives has officially voted to continue its impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden. Every Democrat voted against it. pic.twitter.com/YB9pkb2pQV — RNC Research (@RNCResearch) December 13‚ 2023 CNN reports: All GOP representatives voted to formalize the inquiry‚ including Rep. Ken Buck who previously said he was leaning against it. Part of the reason for Wednesday’s vote comes from the White House telling the trio of GOP-led congressional committees leading the investigation that its subpoenas were illegitimate without a formal House vote to authorize the inquiry‚ reluctant‚ more moderate Republican lawmakers started to get on board with their party’s investigative efforts. The vote comes as the president’s son Hunter Biden defied Republican investigator’s subpoena for closed-door testimony and reiterated that he is willing to testify publicly as part of the GOP-led investigation into the president. But even as the majority of House Republicans rally around the inquiry vote‚ GOP leadership has made a point to indicate that formalizing the inquiry does not mean impeaching the president is inevitable‚ even as pressure within the party and among the Republican base grows. “We’re not going to prejudge the outcome of this because we can’t‚” House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters. “It’s not a political calculation. We’re following the law and we are the rule of law team and I’m going to hold to that‚” he added. “This vote will allow the House Judiciary‚ Oversight and Ways and Means committees to continue their investigations. The evidence mounting against the president cannot be ignored‚” House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) told reporters on Wednesday. “We are now at a pivotal moment in our investigation. We will soon depose and interview several members of the Biden family and their associates about these influence peddling schemes. But we are facing obstruction from the White House‚” Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) commented. “The White House is seeking to block key testimony from current and former White House staff. It is also withholding thousands of records from Joe Biden’s time as Vice President. President Biden must be held accountable for his lies‚ corruption‚ and obstruction. We have a duty to provide the accountability and transparency that Americans demand and deserve‚” he added. Per Fox News: The GOP-led committees on Oversight‚ Ways &; Means and the Judiciary have been investigating Biden over accusations he had leveraged his office of vice president in the Obama administration to enrich his family through foreign businesses. It’s been heavily centered on one of the president’s brothers‚ James Biden‚ and his son‚ Hunter Biden — who is under federal investigation for tax and firearm-related charges. Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy‚ R-Calif.‚ directed the House to open an impeachment inquiry into Biden in September‚ but the White House has dismissed the probe as illegitimate without a formal vote on the matter. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer‚ R-Minn.‚ told Fox News Digital that the White House “requested” the House vote itself. “The White House sent a letter…saying that the subpoenas [Republicans] had served will not be honored and won’t even be recognized without a full vote of the House. So our speaker has done exactly what I would expect he would do as a lawyer. We’re going to honor that. We’re going to go ahead and do a full floor vote‚” Emmer said. “He knows we’re probably going to have to go to court to enforce these anyway‚ so might as well eliminate any of the objections that they have.” Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks‚ R-Iowa‚ told Fox News Digital that Republicans were undertaking their vote because they recognize the gravity of impeachment proceedings.