House Republicans plan to move forward next week with holding Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress after the president’s son defied a congressional subpoena to appear for a private deposition last month.
Quick Read
Key points from the House Republicans’ plans regarding Hunter Biden:
- House Republicans intend to proceed with contempt of Congress charges against Hunter Biden, who did not comply with a congressional subpoena for a private deposition last month.
- The House Oversight and Accountability Committee and the Judiciary Committee, led by Republicans, will vote on the contempt charges.
- If the committees approve, the full House will have a final vote.
- Representatives James Comer and Jim Jordan stated that Hunter Biden’s refusal to comply warrants prosecution.
- Hunter Biden and his lawyers have criticized the subpoena, arguing for public testimony to avoid selective leaks and manipulation.
- Hunter Biden’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, has offered to answer all proper questions but insists on a public setting.
- The impeachment inquiry led by Republicans aims to connect President Joe Biden to his son’s business activities, although no direct evidence implicating the president has been found.
- The investigation also focuses on whistleblower claims about the Justice Department’s ongoing investigation into Hunter Biden’s taxes and gun use.
- Hunter Biden is scheduled to appear in court on tax charges, including three felony and six misdemeanor counts.
- His lawyer has accused special counsel David Weiss of succumbing to Republican pressure in the case.
The Associated Press has the story:
House Republicans ready contempt of Congress charges against Hunter Biden
Newslooks- WASHINGTON (AP)
House Republicans plan to move forward next week with holding Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress after the president’s son defied a congressional subpoena to appear for a private deposition last month.
The Republicans who lead the House Oversight and Accountability Committee and the Judiciary Committee announced Friday that they will hold votes on contempt charges against Hunter Biden as the GOP moves into the final stages of its impeachment inquiry. If the committees approve the charges, the full House would get a final vote.
“Hunter Biden’s willful refusal to comply with our subpoenas constitutes contempt of Congress and warrants referral to the appropriate United States Attorney’s Office for prosecution,” said Reps. James Comer, R-Ky., and Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, in a joint statement. “We will not provide him with special treatment because of his last name.”
Hunter Biden and his lawyers have repeatedly slammed the GOP-issued subpoena for the closed-door testimony, arguing that information from those interviews can be selectively leaked and manipulated. Hunter Biden has insisted that he would only testify in public.
“It’s clear the Republican chairmen aren’t interested in getting the facts or they would allow Hunter to testify publicly,” Hunter Biden’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, said in a statement. “Instead, House Republicans continue to play politics by seeking an unprecedented contempt motion against someone who has from the first request offered to answer all their proper questions.”
He added, “What are they afraid of?”
For months, Republicans have pursued an impeachment inquiry seeking to tie the Democratic president to his son’s business dealings. So far, GOP lawmakers have failed to uncover evidence directly implicating Democratic President Joe Biden in any wrongdoing.
While Republicans say their inquiry is ultimately focused on the president, they have taken particular interest in Hunter Biden and his overseas business dealings, from which they accuse the president of personally benefiting. Republicans have also focused a large part of their investigation on whistleblower allegations of interference in the long-running Justice Department investigation into the younger Biden’s taxes and his gun use.
The hearings planned for Wednesday on contempt of Congress will come a day before Hunter Biden is scheduled to make his first court appearance on tax charges filed by a special counsel in Los Angeles. He is facing three felony and six misdemeanor counts, including filing a false return, tax evasion, failure to file and failure to pay.
His lawyer has accused special counsel David Weiss of “bowing to Republican pressure” in the case.
