Republicans in the House of Representatives threaten Hunter Biden with contempt
Republicans in the House of Representatives on Wednesday threatened to hold Hunter Biden, the president’s son, in contempt of Congress if he did not appear for a closed-door deposition they had planned for next week as they hunt for evidence in a attempt to depose his father.
Hunter Biden has offered to testify publicly but declined to submit to private questioning. He said he fears Republicans will twist his words and selectively leak parts of his testimony without context.
“The committee has shown time and time again that it uses closed-door hearings to manipulate, even distort, the facts and misinform the American public – a hearing would bring transparency and truth to this proceeding,” said Abbe David Lowell, a lawyer representing Mr. Biden. , wrote Wednesday in a letter to Representative James R. Comer, Republican of Kentucky and chairman of the Oversight Committee. “We look forward to developing the schedule.”
Within hours, Republicans responded by threatening Mr. Biden with a contempt charge.
“There is no ‘choice’ for Mr. Biden to make,” Mr. Comer and Representative Jim Jordan, Republican of Ohio and chairman of the Judiciary Committee, wrote to Mr. Lowell. “The subpoenas compel him to appear for a deposition on December 13. If Mr. Biden fails to appear for deposition on December 13, 2023, the committees will initiate contempt of congressional proceedings.”
Congress has broad authority to conduct investigations relevant to its legislative work. Investigators often insist on questioning a witness privately to find out what their testimony is before holding a public hearing, more often known for their grandstanding than for their fact-finding.
Speaker Mike Johnson has also said he believes a vote is needed to approve Republicans’ impeachment inquiry. He called the move a “necessary constitutional step” and suggested a vote could be held next week to formalize the process.
Republicans have a lot of influence in pressuring Hunter Biden to testify. They have long alleged that the president has corruptly profited from his relatives’ foreign business dealings and accepted bribes, and have released some receipts of payments between father and son and other relatives that they claim are proof. But so far they have been unable to provide evidence that there is anything improper about the transactions, which lawyers for members of the Biden family have described as repayments for routine loans and other payments between family members unrelated to business .
When questioned by a reporter at the White House on Wednesday about why he “interacted” with his son and brother’s business partners, President Biden responded curtly: “I didn’t, and it’s just a bunch of lies.”
Hunter Biden would also have a lot at stake if he were to testify. He is charged with lying about his drug use on a federal form he filled out in 2018 to buy a gun. Any testimony he gives to Congress could be used against him.
During the last Congress, when Democrats controlled the House of Representatives, the House voted to refer four recalcitrant witnesses for contempt after they failed to cooperate with the Jan. 6 committee. Unlike Hunter Biden, however, none of these four witnesses — all allies of former President Donald J. Trump — had offered to testify publicly before being referred.
The Justice Department ultimately decided to charge two of these witnesses, Stephen K. Bannon and Peter Navarro. Both were convicted, but are appealing their cases. Contempt offenses carry a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000.
The January 6 committee did not find every witness who defied the subpoenas for contempt. Mr. Jordan, for example, was among Republican members of Congress who received a subpoena but did not cooperate with the investigation.
The Jan. 6 panel decided instead to refer Mr. Jordan and three other Republican members of Congress to the Ethics Commission for investigation.