Republicans aren’t letting this go.
On Monday, the House Oversight and Accountability Committee publicly disclosed a resolution aimed at holding Hunter Biden, the President’s son, in contempt of Congress. This action was prompted by Hunter Biden’s refusal to comply with a subpoena for a closed-door deposition as part of the House GOP’s impeachment inquiry into President Biden.
The resolution, which was concise, instructs the Speaker to forward the contempt report to an appropriate U.S. attorney, seeking legal action against Mr. Biden in accordance with the law. Furthermore, it urges the Speaker to take all necessary measures to enforce the subpoena. Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) and Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) committed to moving forward with this contempt resolution after Hunter Biden failed to appear for a scheduled deposition on December 13.
Hunter Biden had proposed participating in a public hearing, contending that closed-door testimony might be misrepresented by House Republicans. He cited a prior statement from Comer, suggesting witnesses could choose between depositions or committee hearings. However, Republicans argued that a public format alone was insufficient for the investigation and offered a later public hearing along with the release of the deposition transcript.
The accompanying report to the contempt resolution asserted that Hunter Biden had no valid reason for defying the subpoenas, emphasizing the committees’ constitutional authority for legislative and impeachment functions. It stated that by refusing the subpoenas, Mr. Biden had violated federal law.
During the scheduled deposition, Hunter Biden, accompanied by legal counsel, made a statement outside the Senate side of the Capitol, denying allegations of his father’s financial involvement in his business. He emphasized the lack of evidence supporting such claims.
Representative Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the top Democrat on the Oversight panel, criticized Republicans for pursuing the contempt resolution, accusing Chairman Comer of obstructing the investigation by denying Hunter Biden the chance to address all questions publicly. Raskin asserted that Comer wanted to maintain distortions, lies, and conspiracy theories, while evidence showed no wrongdoing or impeachable offense by President Biden.
The House GOP’s impeachment inquiry into President Biden has primarily focused on Hunter Biden’s foreign business dealings and the Department of Justice’s handling of a tax crimes investigation involving him. Both President Biden and his son have consistently denied any wrongdoing.
The committee report explained that the subpoena was issued not only for the impeachment inquiry but also as part of broader legislative oversight efforts. The report argued that testimony was necessary to shape potential legislative reforms addressing influence-peddling by presidential and vice-presidential family members.
Hunter Biden’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, accused the House GOP of playing politics and seeking an unprecedented contempt motion against someone willing to answer all proper questions. However, the accompanying report disputed Lowell’s arguments, emphasizing that the legitimacy of the investigation’s purposes was not contested, and the committees had the authority to decide on their investigative methods.