OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
First son Hunter Biden defied a lawful deposition issued by the Republican-controlled Congress to appear at a closed-door deposition, setting up a potential legal showdown as his father, President Joe Biden, campaigns for a second term.
Fox News reported that Hunter refused to comply with the subpoena issued by the House Oversight Committee and instead held a press conference where he offered again to testify publicly, which is not standard congressional procedure.
He also blasted Republicans while claiming that his father was not “financially involved” with his foreign business dealings. He ripped “MAGA” Republicans who have “invaded” his privacy, “attacked” his family, and “ridiculed my struggle with addiction.”
“They belittled my recovery, and they have tried to dehumanize me, all to embarrass my father, who has devoted his entire life to public service,” the president’s son said. “For six years, I have been a target of the unrelenting Trump attack team. ‘Where’s Hunter?’ Well, here’s my answer. I am here.”
He added that “my father was not financially involved in my business,” noting that Joe was not involved in his dealings with Ukrainian natural gas firm Burisma Holdings or his Chinese investments as well as others throughout the world and the U.S.
“No evidence to support that my father was financially involved in my business because it did not happen,” Hunter Biden said.
Hunter Biden refuses to comply with @JamesComer‘s subpoena to be deposed behind closed doors and demands a public hearing so he can tell sob stories on TV.
Reminder that Don Jr. testified behind closed doors for over 40 hours about the Russia hoax.
Hold him in contempt! pic.twitter.com/1FoJB06zyX
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) December 13, 2023
But Republicans disagree, saying frequently that they have seen what they are calling direct evidence of Joe Biden’s connections to son Hunter’s deals via bank records and through testimony of government whistleblowers.
Meanwhile, earlier this month, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.), along with House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), said they were both prepared to go to court to enforce the subpoena.
“Hunter Biden has received special treatment his entire life,” Comer told the Just the News, No Noise TV. “Every government agency that should have caught the crimes the Bidens have been committed for years were told to stand down. And they think they can bully the Oversight Committee and set the rules. And that’s not going to happen.
“We’re going to treat this investigation like every congressional investigation in recent memory has been treated: you come in for a deposition, then you do the public hearing. All of our depositions are transparent. We released the transcripts,” Comer added. “….He is the key witness to all of the Biden crimes. So the subpoena called for him to show up in this office on Dec. 13 for a deposition. I expect to see Hunter Biden in this office for a deposition.”
When asked if he was prepared to go to federal court to enforce the subpoena and compel Hunter to testify behind closed doors, which is the norm, Comer said, “Absolutely.”
Comer mentioned that he had a meeting with House leadership on Friday and received assurances that the GOP conference would vote to officially endorse the impeachment inquiry. That is expected to enhance his committee’s position, enabling him to pursue legal action to enforce compliance with the subpoenas issued to Hunter Biden and other individuals, Just the News reported.
“I suspect that the House of Representatives will formally vote to formalize the impeachment inquiry. This is the exact same process that (former Speaker Nancy) Pelosi took during her impeachment,” Comer explained. “And they’re not going to be able to have a leg to stand on in court if they try to defy our subpoenas.”
In a letter to Hunter’s attorney Abbe Lowell the previous week, Comer flatly rejected the offer to have his client appear only for an open hearing.
“Mr. Biden’s attempt to avoid sitting for a deposition pursuant to the terms of the subpoenas – by offering instead to testify at a public hearing – amounts to a demand that he receive special treatment from the Committees,” Comer wrote in a letter that was co-signed by Jordan.
Just the News noted further: The letter noted that transcribed interviews and depositions are the normal first step in congressional investigations and that other witnesses in President Joe Biden’s impeachment inquiry have complied, including former Hunter Biden business partner Devon Archer.
