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Jim Jordan, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, claimed on Thursday that a recent statement by Hunter Biden sheds a different light on the House’s investigation into the president and his son. Jordan pointed out that the younger Biden clarified that his father was not “financially” involved.
“Financially involved” in his business dealings, including business deals with foreign nations like China, was President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, who said on Wednesday. Jordan stated that the president’s previous statements—in which he claimed he was completely uninvolved—are different from the current one and that the difference between “no involvement” and “no financial involvement” is “important.”
“Again, remember the pattern,” Jordan said on Fox News’s America’s Newsroom. “Initially, Joe Biden said, ‘I had no involvement whatsoever, none at all, with my son’s business.’ This summer, when we deposed Devon Archer, one of Hunter Biden’s business partners, the story changed: ‘Well, there were dinners, there were meetings, there were phone calls, but we just talked about the weather. There was no business talk.’ Now it’s to say ‘he wasn’t involved financially.'”
The Ohio congressman said that the “fundamental question” was what Hunter Biden was offering to his foreign business partners and that what the younger Biden had been offering was “access” to the then-vice president, “the guy who had influence.”
WATCH:
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 Hunter’s deals via bank records and through the 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 Just the News, No Noise TV. “Every government agency that should have caught the crimes the Bidens have been committing for years was 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 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.”
