Hunter Biden defied a congressional subpoena and held a press conference outside the House Sergeant-at-Arms’ reach, prompting Rep. Jim Jordan to announce that the House would pursue contempt charges against him.
NBC News’ Ryan Nobles described it as a dramatic public relations effort by Hunter Biden to demonstrate his willingness to answer questions, but clarified that the committee had asked for a closed-door deposition, not a public testimony.
Representatives Jordan and Comer disputed Biden’s characterization of the investigation and pointed out inconsistencies in his statements regarding his father’s involvement in his business dealings. (Trending: Kid Rock Rages Against ‘Woke’ Target)
.@RepJamesComer on Hunter Biden: "We've never mocked his addiction."
Rep. @Jim_Jordan on Joe Biden: "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." pic.twitter.com/FPCLrKqhlp
— CSPAN (@cspan) December 13, 2023
“I think it was very telling, just the fact that he wouldn’t cross over into the House side of the Capitol,” Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) said.
“If he had, the Sergeant at Arms could have arrested him and made him come and be in front of the committee.”
“There’s no doubt that this was a pretty dramatic public relations effort by Hunter Biden to show that he was here and ready to answer questions from the Oversight Committee and their investigation into his father and his business dealings and whether or not the two are connected,” Nobles said.
“But to be clear, that’s not what the committee was looking for today.”
“They had asked him to appear under subpoena in a closed-door deposition to answer their questions about his business dealings and whether or not they connect to his father,” Nobles added.
“And they said at some point later they would be willing to allow him to testify publicly.”
“And so this was an effort by Hunter Biden to show that he has nothing to hide, that he’s willing to answer those questions,” he said.
“But it’s probably not going to move House Republicans who, as you rightly point out, are prepared to vote on an impeachment inquiry later today and have said that if Hunter Biden did not appear for that deposition, which was taking place in a completely different part of the Capitol campus than where I’m standing right now, that they would be prepared to move to contempt of Congress charges against him.”
“We’ve never mocked his addiction,” Comer said.
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