Americans divided on House Republicans' impeachment probe of President Biden, shows Reuters/Ipsos survey

According to a Reuters/Ipsos survey released on Thursday, the United States is divided over the Republican impeachment investigation of Democratic President Joe Biden, with a plurality of Americans backing the idea.

Some 41 per cent of respondents supported Congress initiating an impeachment probe into Biden over claims involving his son Hunter Biden, while 35 per cent were opposed and 24 per cent were unsure.

The online survey of 4,413 Americans was conducted from September 8 to September 14, which means that some respondents responded before Republicans in the House of Representatives announced on Tuesday that they would begin the probe.

Republicans claim to have discovered a “culture of corruption” around Biden’s son Hunter Biden’s business operations, which merits a probe. They have not provided proof of the president’s malfeasance, and the White House claims the investigation is a political spectacle that is not supported by facts.

The survey findings revealed a clear party division. Only 18 per cent of Democrats supported the investigation, while 71 per cent of Republicans did. Similarly, 63 per cent of Democrats and 14 per cent of Republicans indicated they opposed it.

Independents were more equally divided, with 38 per cent supporting the inquiry, 30 per cent opposing it, and 32 per cent undecided.

The investigation could lead to an impeachment vote by the Republican-controlled House. Biden would not be removed from office unless two-thirds of the Democratic-controlled Senate votes to convict – an unlikely prospect.

Biden’s son Hunter pursued a wide range of foreign business ventures and has struggled with drug and alcohol addiction. He was criminally charged on Thursday with deceiving a gun dealer into selling him a firearm, in the first-ever indictment of a sitting president’s child.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 46 per cent of respondents believed that criminal charges were politically motivated, while 40 per cent thought they were not.

Previous polls have found that many Americans believe Hunter Biden has received special treatment.

The poll has a credibility interval, a measure of precision, of plus or minus 2 percentage points.