Hunter Biden defies subpoena hours before impeachment inquiry vote

Hunter Biden appeared at the Capitol building Wednesday, Dec. 13, just as he was supposed to appear for a closed-door deposition with the House Oversight Committee. However, the president’s son did not appear for the transcribed interview, and he instead defied the subpoena and made a six-minute statement to the press before leaving.

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“I’m here today to answer at a public hearing any legitimate questions Chairman Comer and the House Oversight Committee may have for me,” Biden said. “I’m here today to make sure that the House committee’s illegitimate investigations of my family do not proceed on distortions, manipulated evidence and lies.”

Biden appeared in what’s called the “Senate swamp.” Had he stepped foot on the side of the building controlled by the House, Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., could have ordered the House sergeant-at-arms to arrest Biden for defying the subpoena. However, on the Senate’s side of the building, a House member has no power to do that.

Biden said he is willing to appear for a public hearing, which Democrats support. 

“Chairman Jordan and Chairman Comer would not take yes for an answer,” Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said. “Why? Because they wanted to conduct the deposition in a closed-door interview so the public couldn’t see it and so they could continue to cherry pick little pieces of evidence and distort what had taken place there. President Biden has done nothing wrong.”

Republicans contend that the deposition must take place in a closed setting to ask hundreds of questions in succession. This is challenging in a segmented hearing, where five-minute sections are evenly distributed between Democrats and Republicans. Once members have had a chance to question Biden, they said he can then appear publicly.

House Republicans also jumped on a statement from Hunter Biden. 

“Let me state as clearly as I can — my father was not financially involved in my business,” Biden said.

Republicans said that statement does not align with statements that he and his father made in the past, raising even more questions.

“Which sort of means — he’s involved,” Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said. “I think that’s how anyone with common sense would read it. He’s been involved, just not financially. That is a huge departure from everything they have said now for the last three-and-a-half years.”

Biden’s Capitol appearance could potentially sway undecided Republicans toward supporting the formal initiation of an impeachment inquiry.

Some Republicans in swing districts and congressional districts that Joe Biden won in 2020 did not support the inquiry at first, but they have since started changing, saying that the White House is not cooperating with the investigation. Voting to formally authorize the inquiry would make it easier for them to enforce subpoenas in court.