House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer released a resolution recommending Hunter Biden be held in contempt of Congress for failing to comply with a subpoena. The president’s son was supposed to appear for a deposition with the Oversight and Judiciary Committees on Dec. 13. Instead, he arrived at the Capitol, made a statement to the press and left.
“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 said during his statement.
The Republican majority wants to hold Biden in criminal contempt, which means he could be charged, put on trial and possibly found guilty of a misdemeanor.
The speaker of the House would have to make a referral to the U.S attorney for the District of Columbia, who can then bring the matter before a grand jury. Not everyone held in contempt is ultimately prosecuted. Those found guilty face up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.
Lawmakers will debate and consider the resolution at the committee level on Wednesday, Jan. 10. Biden won’t be formally held in contempt unless the resolution is passed with a majority vote by the full House of Representatives. That vote will take place at a later date.
“The Oversight and Accountability Committee, with the other investigating committees, has accumulated significant evidence suggesting that President Biden knew of, participated in, and profited from foreign business interests engaged in by his son, about which the Committees intended to question Mr. Biden during his deposition,” the resolution stated. “Mr. Biden’s decision to defy the Committees’ subpoenas and deliver prepared remarks prevents the Committee from carrying out its Constitutional oversight function and its impeachment inquiry.”
Hunter Biden said he’s willing to testify publicly but Republicans argued he can’t dictate the terms of his appearance. They also said they need to question him behind closed doors so they can ask about sensitive bank information.
Democrats said the Republican-led investigation into the Bidens is going nowhere.
“They’ve got absolutely nothing,” Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., told Straight Arrow News. “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.”
Multiple people have been held in contempt in recent years, including former Trump White House staff members Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro. They were both prosecuted and found guilty of defying subpoenas related to the Jan. 6 riot investigation.
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