Written by Hudson Crozier

What’s happening: House Republicans launched an impeachment inquiry — the process of deciding whether or not to impeach — against President Joe Biden last week, making their case that the president may be compromised by his son Hunter’s business dealings in China, Ukraine, and elsewhere.

• It’s a longshot: If the House votes to impeach, the Senate must vote to convict Biden to remove him from office. The Democrats’ slim Senate majority makes this unlikely.

Why it matters: These proceedings raise public awareness of the Bidens’ alleged corruption, specifically of the tens of millions of dollars Hunter received in foreign payments by selling access to his father, who reportedly spoke and met with some of these businessmen, despite claiming no involvement. The hearing also brought new information to the table.

The “brand”: A House committee released text messages in which Hunter described then-Vice President Joe Biden as his family’s “brand” and “only asset,” looking like yet another confirmation that people were paying Hunter solely to earn favor from his father.

They knew it was shady: A new FBI document says that the Chinese company CEFC waited until Joe Biden left office to send his son money because “there was a concern it would be improper … due to [the company’s] close affiliation with the Chinese government.”

What’s next: House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) has subpoenaed the bank records of Hunter and James Biden, escalating the probe. Comer has not yet indicated that he will demand the president’s records.