Trump threatens ‘oblivion’ for Republicans if Congress doesn’t impeach Biden

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox

Get our free Inside Washington email

Please enter a valid email address

Please enter a valid email address

SIGN UP

I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy

Former president Donald Trump warned that Republicans could face “OBLIVION” if they do not impeach President Joe Biden on charges rooted in false claims.

The twice-impeached, four-times-indicted former president posted on his Truth Social platform that Republicans need to move beyond an impeachment inquiry of the president.

“The Republicans in Congress, though well meaning, keep talking about an Impeachment ‘Inquiry’ on Crooked Joe Biden. Look, the guy got bribed, he paid people off, and he wouldn’t give One Billion Dollars to Ukraine unless they ‘got rid of the Prosecutor,’” he posted.

Mr Trump was referring to claims that Mr Biden, who was then vice president, urged Ukraine’s then-president Petro Poroshenko to fire Ukraine’s top prosecutor Viktor Shokin as a means to protect his son Hunter Biden from an investigation Mr Shokin was conducting into Burisma. At the time, Hunter Biden sat on the board of Burisma.

Mr Shokin has claimed he was fired because of this, even though Mr Biden was repeating not only the wishes of then-president Barack Obama, but also the wishes of the European Union, the International Monetary Fund and other international organisations.

Mr Trump later asked Ukraine’s next president, Volodymyr Zelensky, to investigate the claims in exchange for defence aid money for the country, which led to his first impeachment trial.

“Biden is a Stone Cold Crook-You don’t need a long INQUIRY to prove it, it’s already proven. These lowlifes Impeached me TWICE (I WON!), and Indicted me FOUR TIMES - For NOTHING! Either IMPEACH the BUM, or fade into OBLIVION. THEY DID IT TO US!”

Republicans have been aggressively investigating claims that Mr Biden was bribed but have not been able to find a clear link or claim of impropriety on behalf of Mr Biden when he was vice president.

Mr Trump’s words come as as he faces four indictments: one on charges related to hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in New York County; a federal indictment for his handling of documents related to national defence; another federal indictment for his scheme to overturn the 2020 presidential election results; and charges with 18 others in Fulton County, Georgia for his attempt to overturn the election results in the state.