Republicans are beginning proceedings to hold Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress after he defied a subpoena requiring him to sit for a closed-door deposition Wednesday as part of their impeachment investigation.
Hunter appeared outside of the Capitol on Wednesday to deliver a dramatic tirade slamming ‘shameless’ Republicans, and declared that he would be skipping his deposition that was scheduled for 9.30am.
Now Republicans say that his ‘obstruction’ of their investigation has forced them to take the president’s son to court to compel his cooperation – or he will face jail time.
‘Hunter Biden today defied lawful subpoenas and we will now initiate contempt of Congress proceedings,’ a reactionary statement by Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer and Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan read.
‘We will not provide special treatment because his last name is Biden.’
If Hunter is held in contempt of Congress by a committee vote, his case would be referred to the Biden-led Department of Justice. If DOJ agrees to prosecute the case, which is unlikely, he could face up to 12 months jail time or a fine of up to $100,000 if convicted.
‘We will not provide special treatment because his last name is Biden,’ said Jim Jordan
Hunter Biden shockingly showed up Capitol Hill on the morning of his mandatory deposition to acknowledge ‘mistakes’ he made due to his crack cocaine addiction while blasting Republicans investigating him for ‘turning his ‘dad’s love into darkness’
The first son also said his father was ‘not financially involved’ in his controversial business dealings and that there was no evidence because it ‘did not happen.’
Comer and Jordan questioned what Hunter meant when that his father was not ‘financially’ involved in his dealings.
‘Exactly how was Joe Biden involved?’ they questioned in the statement. ‘Evidence shows Joe Biden met with Hunter’s business associates and his name was at the center of the family business strategy.’
Hunter was subpoenaed by Republicans last month along with James Biden, the president’s brother, and Biden family associate Rob Walker. Attorneys for James have been in touch with the committee and they are working on scheduling a time for his closed-door testimony.
Republicans are also expected to hold a voter later today to formalize their ongoing impeachment inquiry into Joe.
‘Today’s obstruction by Hunter Biden reinforces the need for a formal vote,’ said Comer and Jordan.
‘President Biden and his family must be held accountable for their corruption and obstruction. And we will provide that to the American people.”
Hunter Biden made a shock appearance on Capitol Hill where he defiantly declared that his father is innocent of corruption allegations and accused Republicans of being ‘shameless’ for trying to impeach him.
Hunter delivered an emotional public statement in which he tore into the ‘unrelenting Trump attack machine’ and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene for showing naked photos of him in Congress.
Hunter admitted making ‘mistakes’ in his life due to his crack cocaine addiction but went on to blast Republicans investigating him and accused them of ‘turning my dad’s love into darkness.’
Republicans have threatened to begin the process of holding Hunter Biden in Contempt of Congress if he doesn’t show up for his impeachment probe deposition at 9.30am on Wednesday
Speculation is swirling around Washington D.C. over whether the first son will show up for his closed-door interview in the GOP investigation into his father’s involvement in foreign business deals
Hunter said: ‘I am here today to acknowledge I have made mistakes in my life. I’m also here today to correct how the MAGA right has portrayed me for political purposes.
‘In the depths of my addiction I was extremely irresponsible with my finances,’ he admitted.
‘But to suggest that is grounds for an impeachment inquiry is beyond the absurd.’
Hunter spoke outside of the Senate side of the Capitol hours before a planned Republican vote to formalize the ongoing impeachment inquiry into his father.
He said: ‘It’s shameless. There is no evidence to support the allegations that my father was financially involved in my business because it did not happen.’
Speculation had been swirling around Washington, D.C., over whether the first son would show up for his closed-door interview in the GOP investigation led by Oversight Chairman James Comer into his father’s involvement in his foreign business deals.
Hunter accused House Republicans of warping his relationship with his father.
They turned ‘my dad’s love into darkness,’ he said.
Later, after Hunter skipped the deposition, Comer said there were ‘mountains of evidence’ against him and he does not get to dictate the terms of his subpoena.
‘We expect to depose the president’s son, and then we would be happy to have an open hearing,’ Comer said.
‘I don’t know anyone in more trouble than Hunter Biden and he just got in more trouble today.’
Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan said that ‘we’re here to get the facts’ and in his long experience of conducting investigations, that is done behind closed-doors first.
Hunter Biden arrived on the Senate side of the Capitol on Wednesday morning with his attorney Abbe Lowell
Lawmakers were kept in the dark about whether Hunter would show up or skip his testimony – with Comer telling reporters 30 minutes before his arrival: ‘I’ll let you know when I know.’
Comer has presented a case to his fellow Republicans which he says tracks over 20 shell companies set up by Biden family members to funnel in over $25 million in foreign cash – cashing in on the family name while Joe was the sitting vice president.
Hunter refuted those accusations in his statement, including those relating to Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company where he sat on the board.
He said: ‘Let me state as clearly as I can, my father was not financially involved in my business, not as a practicing lawyer, not as a board member of Burisma, not in my partnership with the Chinese private businessman, not in my investments at home and abroad and certainly not as an artist.
‘During my battle with addiction my parents were there for me. They literally saved my life.
‘They helped me in ways that I will never be able to repay, and of course, they would never expect me to.’
Hunter Biden speaks on Capitol Hill
The first son delivers his statement
He went on to slam the Republicans investigating his finances and who are attempting to tie his business dealings to Joe.
‘For six years MAGA Republicans, including members of the house committees who are in a closed-door session right now, have impugned my character, invaded my privacy, attacked my wife, my children, my family and my friends,’ Hunter continued in his short address in front of the Capitol.
‘They have ridiculed my struggle with addiction, they have belittled my recovery and they have tried to dehumanize me, all to embarrass and damage my father who has devoted his entire public life to service.’
He named the three investigating Republicans – Comer, Jordan and Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith.
They ‘distorted the facts by cherry-picking lines from a bank statement, manipulating texts I sent, editing the testimony of my friends and former business partners, and misstating personal information that was stolen from me.
‘There is no fairness or decency in what these Republicans are doing. They have lied over and over,’ the president’s son said.
Hunter Biden spent a staggering $872K on prostitutes, porn and sex club memberships and took $1.6 M from ATMs
The 53-year-old was charged with evading $1.4 million in taxes last week.
Comer and Jordan have said Hunter has ‘no choice’ but to comply after they issued him a subpoena compelling him to appear for a private deposition.
‘If Mr. Biden does not appear for his deposition on Dec. 13, 2023, the committees will initiate contempt of Congress proceedings,’ they said.
Hunter’s lawyer Abbe Lowell has insisted the deposition should be out in the open, claiming Republicans have ‘demonstrated time and again it uses closed-door sessions to manipulate, even distort, the facts and misinform the American public’.
The anticipation of Hunter’s date with Congressional investigators came as Republicans moved one step closer to authorizing the full impeachment investigation into his father.
The resolution passed out of the House Rules Committee Tuesday, its final step before heading to the House floor.
Only Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., is still solidly a ‘lean no.’ ‘I’ve got 24 hours to get some sense knocked into my head,’ he joked to reporters.
Even the moderate and Biden district Republicans seem to be onboard with authorizing the inquiry – and insist it does not put them in a bind of being obligated to hold a vote on impeaching the president further down the line.
‘With anything with due process, there’s there’s a chance for all outcomes to occur,’ Rep. John Garcia, R-Calif., who represents a district Biden won in 2020, told DailyMail.com.
Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy had declared the inquiry open in October, but now Republicans say they need a vote to fully green-light the probe due to White House ‘stonewalling.’
Holding a vote to impeach the president could prove more politically divisive – and potentially damaging to Republicans from swing districts. Not holding a vote to impeach Biden risks looking like the investigation has exonerated him.
House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer slammed Hunter Biden for not testifying
Speaker Mike Johnson insisted they were not under any obligation to push through with impeaching the president just by opening an inquiry.
‘We’re not going to prejudge the outcome of this,’ he told reporters. ‘It’s not a political calculation. We’re following the law.’
The vote will come on a day when Hunter Biden is in DC – but is not expected to show up to his mandatory deposition on Capitol Hill.
Oversight Chair Rep. James Comer and Judiciary Chair Rep. Jim Jordan have threatened to hold Hunter Biden in contempt of court if he does not appear for a closed-door deposition by December 13.
Authorizing the probe with the approval of a majority of the House is a way for Republicans to bolster their standing in potential court battles.
Hunter’s lawyers have insisted their client will only testify publicly. Republicans have said he must first come in for a private deposition before he gets a public testimony.
Now, Republicans say Hunter could hide behind the shield of the most recent Department of Justice indictment – which hit him with nine criminal charges for avoiding paying taxes while spending millions on an ‘extravagant lifestyle.’
The first son and his wife Melissa attended a function at St Mary’s Episcopal Church in Los Angeles’ Palms neighborhood
Speaker Mike Johnson insisted they were not under any obligation to push through with impeaching the president just by opening an inquiry. ‘We’re not going to prejudge the outcome of this,’ he told reporters. ‘It’s not a political calculation. We’re following the law’
President Joe Biden, first lady Jill Biden, Hunter Biden holding Beau Biden and Naomi Biden watch fireworks on the South Lawn of the White House on July 04
The probe is investigating whether Biden partook in the business deals that capitalized on his name to enrich his family and whether he used the Department of Justice to offer special treatment to his son.
Republican impeachment investigators will need to significantly ramp up the proof they have of Joe Biden’s involvement in his family’s overseas business dealings if they are to have the votes to impeach the president. Some Republicans say they have not yet seen enough proof to convince them to impeach the president.
‘The thing about evidence is that you need to see it before you prejudge it,’ Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., chair of the pragmatic Main Street Caucus told DailyMail.com.
House Republicans have uncovered evidence of payments from Hunter and James Biden to Joe Biden’s bank accounts after lucrative business dealings, but the White House has shown evidence suggesting those could be loan repayments.