Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, makes a press release to the press exterior the U.S. Capitol about testifying publicly to the House Oversight and Accountability Committee on Wednesday, December 13, 2023.
Bill Clark | Cq-roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images
House committees launched reports Monday recommending that Hunter Biden be held in contempt of Congress over what they known as his “flagrant defiance” of a subpoena associated to the impeachment inquiry into his father, President Joe Biden.
Hunter Biden “should be held accountable for his illegal actions,” learn reviews from the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees.
The reviews’ findings got here as little shock: Three days earlier than they had been launched, the committee chairmen introduced they’d maintain markups Wednesday and vote on the resolutions to recommend contempt costs in opposition to the president’s son.
If the Republican-led panels go the resolutions, they may transfer to a vote in the complete House. The chamber, which holds a slim Republican majority, can then vote to refer the matter to the Department of Justice, which is able to in the end determine whether or not to pursue legal costs.
Republicans initiated contempt proceedings final month, after Hunter Biden refused to take a seat for a closed-door deposition with congressional investigators trying into corruption allegations in opposition to the Democratic president and his household.
Biden had as an alternative provided to testify publicly earlier than Congress, however Oversight Chairman Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., rejected the proposal.
On the day he was scheduled to look for the personal deposition, Biden confirmed up exterior the U.S. Capitol and railed in opposition to the Republican investigation whereas defending his enterprise file.
“There’s no proof to assist the allegations that my father was financially concerned in my enterprise, as a result of it didn’t occur,” he stated in a ready assertion earlier than departing.
Biden’s defiance “warrants referral to the suitable United States Attorney’s Office for prosecution,” Comer and Judiciary Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, stated in a press release Friday asserting the upcoming markups.
Abbe Lowell, an lawyer for Biden, didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
Rep. Jamie Raskin, the Oversight Committee’s rating Democrat, slammed the Republicans for pursuing a contempt discovering regardless of Biden’s provide to present public testimony.
“Instead of taking sure for a solution, Chairman Comer has now obstructed his personal hapless investigation by denying Hunter Biden the chance to reply all of the Committee’s questions in entrance of the American individuals and the world,” Raskin stated in a statement Friday.
Raskin and different Democrats have put a highlight on Comer’s prior remarks signaling he would be open to letting Hunter Biden communicate in a public listening to.
“Hunter Biden is greater than welcome to come back in entrance of the Committee,” Comer stated in a Newsmax interview in September.
Comer’s critics have additionally accused him of refusing to publicly launch transcripts from witness depositions as a result of doing so would undercut their claims.
As his father seeks a second time period in workplace, Hunter Biden faces a stacked authorized schedule that features two federal legal instances on separate tax and gun-related costs.
Biden has pleaded not responsible to the costs associated to his possession of a handgun whereas being an unlawful drug consumer. His authorized staff final month filed motions to dismiss these costs in federal court docket in Delaware.
He is about to be arraigned Thursday on 9 tax-related costs in federal court docket in Los Angeles.