Republicans have demanded the White House hand over any communications that could show President Joe Biden was aware that son Hunter was going to defy his subpoena to testify to Congress.
Instead of appearing for closed-door deposition with the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees on December 13, the president’s 53-year-old son held a press conference outside the Capitol building where he defended the impeachment inquiry into his father.
Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) and Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) say they are ‘compelled to examine the involvement of the President in his son’s scheme to defy the Committees’ subpoenas,’ according to a letter to White House Counsel Edward Siskel.
During a White House press conference the same day of Hunter’s remarks on Capitol Hill, Biden’s Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the president was ‘certainly familiar with what his son was going to say.’
House Republicans are demanding the White House turn over information, documents and communication that could indicate whether President Joe Biden helped his son Hunter defy a congressional subpoena on December 13 and instead hold a press conference outside the Capitol (pictured)
‘Ms. Jean-Pierre declined, however, to provide any further details about the President’s actions or whether the President approved of his son defying congressional subpoenas,’ the letter adds. ‘Nonetheless, Ms. Jean-Pierre’s statement suggests that the President had some amount of advanced knowledge that Mr. Biden would choose to defy two congressional subpoenas.’
The two Republican chairmen claim that Jean-Pierre’s statement from the podium on December 13 indicate that Biden was ‘aware in advance that his son, Hunter Biden, would knowingly defy two congressional subpoenas.’
Therefore, they note, they must ‘examine as part of our impeachment inquiry whether the President engaged in a conspiracy to obstruct a proceeding of Congress.’
Hunter’s attorney sent justification ahead of time for why his client would not comp;y with the terms of the subpoenas, but the committee said the president’s so would not receive ‘special treatment.’
At a White House press briefing on December 13, Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre (pictured) said President Biden was ‘certainly familiar with what his son was going to say,’ opening up questions on whether he advised Hunter to ‘obstruct’ Congress
Oversight Chairman James Comer and Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan say they are ‘compelled to examine the involvement of the President in his son’s scheme to defy the Committees’ subpoenas,’ according to a letter to White House Counsel Edward Siskel (pictured)
They noted that the Committees would initiate contempt of Congress proceedings if Hunter Biden did not testify behind closed doors.
Hunter said in his five-minute press conference earlier this month that he would testify to Congress, but only in a public setting.
As the Republican-led committees consider whether to bring impeachment charges against the president, they are requesting the White House comply with the investigation, which now includes whether Biden was involved in his son ‘obstructing Congress.’
Comer and Jordan are demanding White House Counsel Siskel produce by January 10, 2024 ‘all documents and communications sent or received by employees of the Executive Office of the President regarding the deposition of Hunter Biden’ and ‘regarding President Biden’s statement about his family’s business associates on December 6, 2023.’
‘Thank you for your cooperation with the impeachment inquiry,’ the letter concludes.
