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.
The 53-year-old was charged with evading $1.4 million in taxes last week, and his lawyers have demanded he testify in public so he can tell his story.
He is believed to have arrived in D.C. on Tuesday, but it is still not known if he will make an appearance on Capitol Hill.
Republican congressmen James Comer and Jim Jordan have said Hunter Biden has ‘no choice’ after they issued him a subpoena compelling him to appear for a deposition.
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
‘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’.
Hunter Biden spent a staggering $872K on prostitutes, porn and sex club memberships and took $1.6 M from ATMs
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 Joe.
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.
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.