Eric Swalwell denies helping Hunter Biden defy subpoena

Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., denied he held a press conference on the Senate side of the Capitol building to help Hunter Biden defy a subpoena. The president’s son was supposed to appear for a deposition Wednesday, Dec. 13, with the House Oversight Committee, but instead, he appeared at Swalwell’s press conference, read a statement and left.

Swalwell was accused of “aiding and abetting” Biden by hosting the press conference on the Senate side so the House sergeant-at-arms could not enforce the subpoena and force Biden to appear for the deposition.

Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., told Fox News Digital he thought there should be a vote to hold Biden in contempt, and possibly Swalwell in contempt as well. 

“Did you have [the press conference] on the Senate side specifically to prevent the House sergeant-at-arms from enforcing that subpoena,” Straight Arrow News asked Swalwell.

“No, that’s not what happened,” Swalwell said. “I actually tried to book the House side. I booked the House side at 10:30 and then I think the deposition time had moved and so the House side was no longer available.”

A review of the congressional schedule from Wednesday morning indicates there was another press conference scheduled in the House’s outdoor press conference area at the same time.

Had the press conference been held on the side of the building controlled by the House, Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky, could have instructed the sergeant-at-arms to enforce the subpoena. However, on the Senate’s side, a House member does not have the power to do that.

“But like, look, Hunter showed up, he was ready to testify publicly,” Swalwell said. “You know, what Hunter chooses to do and not do is up to him, but he was offered multiple times by Comer to testify publicly and he came and raised his hand and said, ‘I’m here and I’m ready.’

“And I think anyone that wants to focus on the process of how Hunter Biden came here to the Capitol is ignoring the underlying substance here — which is that they’ve got absolutely nothing. And they’ve wasted thousands of hours of time here at the Capitol to try and go after a former addict to weaponize that addiction against that addict’s father, who’s the president.”

Swalwell also thought the Republican’s impeachment effort could help Democrats in the 2024 election. 

“They don’t know why they want to impeach him,” Swalwell said. “It just goes to this frame of competence versus chaos. And as long as we show that on the core freedoms that people care about: financial freedom, freedom of body, freedom to vote and how to count it, freedom to come home from school and be safe as a kid, freedom to read and not have your book banned. We’re fighting for those freedoms. They’re fighting for chaos. I do think people will see through that.”

Comer and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, announced they will begin contempt proceedings for Biden, but did not say anything about Swalwell.

“Hunter Biden defied a lawful subpoena this week,” the pair said in a statement. “There will be no special treatment because Hunter’s last name is Biden.”