Republicans don’t have the votes to impeach Biden, eye criminal referrals
The Republican-led impeachment inquiry into President Biden appears to be moving toward an end without much to show for it. Multiple Republicans are publicly admitting they don’t have enough support to impeach the president.
“We don’t have the votes,” Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., said. “I say vote it up or down. I’m tired of people saying they’re going to do, they’re going to vote to impeach the president, they’re going for Hunter Biden, and then they wink and nod to their buddies up here that they’re not going to do it. Let’s vote it. Let’s show where the votes are.”
There are a number of Republicans who say they’d vote to impeach the president because they believe the evidence is there.
“I’ve seen enough — $20 million, no proof they paid any taxes, Communist Chinese influence,” Burchett said. “That’s enough.”
However, even those who support impeachment admit there aren’t enough Republicans on board. So between lacking support and Democrats remaining unified in their opposition, as of now, an impeachment vote would fail.
Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., who is leading the inquiry, recently told Newsmax that he thinks it would be better to send criminal referrals to the Justice Department. Those referrals would urge the department to investigate specific crimes but they are not binding.
“Now we want accountability,” Comer told Newsmax. “And I believe that the best path to accountability is criminal referrals.”
Democrats have opposed the impeachment inquiry from the very beginning. However, they renewed their calls for its end after a key witness was indicted on charges of lying to the FBI about the Bidens.
Alexander Smirnov could face 25 years in prison if found guilty of making false statements on an official record, known as a 1023 form.
“We now know the 1023 form was a lie,” Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., said. “It was all false. It came from Russian intelligence, disinformation, the guy’s been indicted. My colleagues on the other side know this. So they know the genesis, the beginning, the birth of the fake impeachment into the president was Russian disinformation.”
There’s no timeline for wrapping up the impeachment inquiry. As of right now, there are no more hearings on the schedule.
Impeachment hearing features a witness in prison, a Putin mask, an empty chair
A congressman wearing a Putin mask, an empty chair for Hunter Biden, and a key witness testifying via teleconference from prison: that was the reality at the House Oversight Committee’s impeachment hearing into Joe Biden Wednesday, March 20. The hearing included some made-for-TV moments but no new information.
Republicans continued to push their narrative that Joe Biden and his family made $24 million off his public service.
“The Bidens sell Joe Biden, that is their business,” Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said. “Joe shows up, shakes a few hands in front of his son and says, ‘Take care of my boy,’ or something similar, and the money flows to the tune of tens of millions of dollars.”
Democrats contend that Republicans have failed to substantiate any wrongdoing throughout their investigation, which has spanned more than a year.
“With any luck, today marks the end of perhaps the most spectacular failure in the history of congressional investigations — the effort to find a high crime or misdemeanor committed by Joe Biden and then to impeach him for it,” Ranking Member Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said.
Democrats brought in a former ally of Donald Trump to testify. Lev Parnas worked with Rudy Giuliani on behalf of the former president in an effort to find evidence of corruption with the Bidens’ dealings in Ukraine.
“In nearly a year traveling the world and interviewing officials in different countries, I found precisely zero evidence of the Bidens’ corruption in Ukraine,” Parnas told the committee.
Republicans brought in two witnesses who were former business partners of Hunter Biden.
Jason Galanis, who worked with Hunter Biden on acquisition projects, testified from prison.
“The entire value-add of Hunter Biden to our business was his family name and his access to his father, Vice President Joe Biden,” Galanis said.
The other witness, Tony Bobulinski, worked with Hunter Biden on a project involving a Chinese Energy company. He said Joe Biden was the brand sold by Hunter Biden to those seeking to gain access and influence with the United States government.
“Joe Biden was more than a participant in and beneficiary of his family’s business; he was an active, aware enabler who met with business associates such as myself to further the business, despite being buffered by a complex scheme to maintain plausible deniability,” Bobulinski said.
Bobulinski first came forward with these accusations in October 2020 when Trump invited him to be his guest at a presidential debate. He has repeated many of the same accusations since that time, leading to questions about the inquiry’s next steps.
Straight Arrow News asked Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., where Republicans plan to take it from here.
“What’s hopefully is going to be added is that you guys actually will cover it,” Burlison said. “Because if you ask most Americans they don’t, they don’t know the story. [Hunter] was doing business with some of the most corrupt individuals in the world.”
Rep. Raskin said Republicans appear to be preparing to write criminal referrals, rather than moving toward an impeachment vote. Those referrals would urge the Justice Department to investigate specific crimes but they would not be binding.
Democrats, Republicans want answers about outside influence on US Trade Rep
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., is opening an investigation into the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR). The investigation seeks to understand how much influence outside organizations may have had on the October 2023 decision to abandon digital trade principles, which the U.S. first put forward in 2019. At the time, Trade Representative Katherine Tai said the decision would give Congress more ability to regulate Big Tech.
Digital trade is part of daily life. Buying something on Amazon? That’s digital trade. An email with a document to e-sign? That’s digital trade. Trying to buy Eras tour tickets for the shows in Madrid? That’s international digital trade.
The rules and principles that governments create to regulate digital trade impact how your information is sent and stored. The House investigation is looking into how third parties may have changed that.
“New documents brought forward through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request shed light on robust and sometimes clandestine engagement efforts made by USTR officials through their cozy relationships with former colleagues who work as ideological advocates outside of government,” Comer wrote in a letter to Tai. “Some of these individuals are associated with efforts to advance the interests of favored businesses over competitors and consumer welfare.”
The trade principles were first proposed by the Trump administration in 2019 and had strong bipartisan support. Similar provisions were included in the USMCA trade agreement, which Congress approved in January 2020.
When the decision was made in October, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said it was made with “virtually zero consultation with Congress.”
“USTR’s unilateral decision to abandon any leverage against China’s digital expansionism and to oppose policies championed by allies like Australia, Japan, the U.K. and Korea, directly contradicts its mission as delegated by Congress,” Wyden said in a statement. “It may be time to reconsider the degree of that delegation going forward.”
Tai’s decision received support from 87 House Democrats. However, in January, nearly 50 members of Congress wrote to Tai, FTC Chair Lina Kahn and Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter.
“It is shocking that USTR’s political leadership has chosen to retract its backing for long-standing, bipartisan core trade values that safeguard against compelled technology transfers, data localization, source code disclosure and further discriminatory trade practices,” the lawmakers said.
“Ambassador Tai reasserted our rights to limit the flow of Americans’ data to such countries by withdrawing U.S. support for Trump-era WTO proposals that granted data brokers and digital platforms all but total control of Americans’ data,” the group, led by Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., said.
Concern about the USTR’s lack of consultation with Congress goes back to May of 2022. A bipartisan group of senators led by Wyden wrote to Tai and accused the USTR of not living up to its own standards when negotiating a deal with the World Trade Organization (WTO) on Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).
Comer wants the trade representative’s office to hand over communications on the messaging app Signal or other non-official communications channels and all correspondence between USTR employees and individuals at certain nongovernmental organizations — including New America, Public Citizen and Center for Digital Democracy.
Comer is also requesting memos, notes and other internal communications related to digital trade negotiations.
Congress considers giving rusting RFK Stadium campus to DC for revitalization
Washington, D.C., is known for its beautiful architecture showcased in landmarks like the Capitol, White House and monuments. But away from the National Mall, parts of the city have been left to rust, including RFK Stadium and its 174-acre campus.
The campus is the largest unused tract of land in the district, and there’s a bipartisan effort to transform it into a thriving community with restaurants, office buildings and apartment complexes.
“This economic development will help revitalize the RFK Stadium campus creating new jobs and tax revenue for the district’s residents,” Rep. James Comer, R- Ky., said.
The stadium campus is federal land, and it is currently under the control of the Interior Department. A bill that just passed the House would transfer administrative control to the local Washington government for commercial and residential development, recreation and a stadium.
“This allows the District of Columbia to revitalize this site, turning what was once a blight on our nation’s capital into a thriving area of commerce and community,” Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y., said. “Importantly, the bill also imposes any remediation or environmental costs onto the District of Columbia, saving taxpayer dollars that would otherwise be spent by the National Park Service.”
RFK is set to be demolished, which is perhaps emblematic of its collapse.
The stadium, once home to the Redskins and host to major concerts featuring bands like Aerosmith, also served as the Nationals’ home for three seasons before they departed in 2007. D.C. United called it home until 2017.
Both the Nationals and D.C. United went to Navy Yard, a gentrification success story in D.C. also located along the Anacostia River. Nationals Park and Audi Field are surrounded by new apartment, condo complexes, stores and restaurants.
“During my tenure, Congress has passed several bipartisan bills to transform underutilized land in D.C. into thriving mixed-used developments,” Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-District of Columbia, said.
In a place where politics is national, much of the opposition to this bill was local. Representatives from Maryland voted against the bill because the Commanders currently play at FedEx field in Prince George’s County. However, the team’s contract to play there ends in 2027. A new stadium and gentrified community around it may be just enough to convince the Commanders’ new owners to bring them back to Washington.
“I believe Prince George’s County in Maryland should be able to compete on a level playing field to keep the Washington Commanders,” Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., said. “But this bill would give an unfair advantage to D.C. It’s most certainly not a level playing field when one interested jurisdiction receives a free transfer of federal government subsidized land.”
Norton countered that there is a multi-billion-dollar project backlog preventing the revitalization of this land without the passage of this bill.
“The National Park Service does not have the money to transform the RFK Stadium site from acres of asphalt into parks or mixed uses,” Del. Norton said. “There is precedent for Congress giving title to or administration jurisdiction over federal land to states and other jurisdictions for no consideration.”
The bill still needs to pass the Senate and be signed by President Biden for this to come to fruition. After that, it’ll be on D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to create a development plan.
James Biden says Joe Biden didn’t know source of funds used to repay loan
President Joe Biden’s brother James spent hours testifying to the House Oversight and Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, Feb. 21. The closed door interview was part of the impeachment inquiry into the president. Republicans are trying to prove that Biden benefited from his family’s business dealings while he was vice president.
“I have had a 50-year career in a variety of business ventures,” James Biden said, addressing the overall inquiry. “Joe Biden has never had any involvement or any direct or indirect financial interest in those activities. None.”
“I have always kept my professional life separate from our close personal relationship,” James Biden said in an opening statement. “I never asked my brother to take any official action on behalf of me, my business associates, or anyone else.”
The president’s younger brother also directly addressed an accusation the committee made in November.
The committee released bank documents it said showed President Biden received $40,000 in laundered money from China in 2017. The committee published bank statements and a check which traced the money from the Chinese company CEFC, through a shell company, to James Biden’s bank account and then to Joe Biden via a check which stated loan repayment in the memo.
“They were short-term loans that I received from Joe when he was a private citizen, and I repaid them within weeks,” James Biden said in his opening statement. “He had no information at all about the source of the funds I used to repay him. The complete explanation is that Joe lent me money and I repaid him as soon as I had the funds to do so.”
Republicans are still casting doubt on James Biden’s explanation.
“We asked what exactly did both Jim and Hunter do to earn the millions of dollars that they earned from CEFC and he said that they were always out scouting around trying to find them investments,” Oversight Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said on Newsmax. “And the next obvious question was, ‘Well did you find them any investments?’ No.”
Democrats are calling for the impeachment inquiry to end.
“Yesterday’s interview served only to corroborate the mountain of evidence that has proven time and time again that President Biden has committed no wrongdoing,” Oversight Ranking Member Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said in a statement.
This isn’t the last of the Biden family’s business dealings. Hunter Biden is scheduled to testify Wednesday, Feb. 28.
FBI informant charged with lying about Biden family’s ties to Burisma
An FBI informant has been charged with falsely reporting a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme involving President Joe Biden, his son Hunter, and Ukrainian energy company Burisma. The charges were filed by Special Counsel David Weiss, who is leading the investigation against Hunter Biden, charging him with firearm and tax violations.
According to the indictment, Alexander Smirnov, 43, lied to the FBI in 2020 when he said Burisma paid both Bidens $5 million. Prosecutors said Smirnov “expressed bias” against Joe Biden, who was running for president then. Smirnov’s claims have been central to House Republicans’ efforts to impeach the president over his family business dealings.
“In short, the Defendant transformed his routine and unextraordinary business contacts with Burisma in 2017 and later into bribery allegations against Public Official 1, the presumptive nominee of one of the two major political parties for President, after expressing bias against Public Official 1 and his candidacy,” the indictment said.
Fulton County DA Fani Willis testifies in Trump election interference case: The Morning Rundown, Feb. 16, 2024
The district attorney leading Georgia’s election interference case against former President Donald Trump takes the stand. And Amazon is sued after a subscriber says the addition of ads to Prime Video is ‘immoral.’ These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Friday, Feb. 16, 2024.
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Lawyers for Trump and his 14 co-defendants are seeking to remove Willis from the case, as they argued that her romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade presented a conflict of interest. On the stand, Willis fired back at the lawyers’ claims.
“I object to you getting records,” Willis said. “You’ve been intrusive into people’s personal lives. You’re confused. Do you think I’m on trial? These people are on trial for trying to steal an election in 2020. I’m not on trial no matter how hard you try to put me on trial.”
A former friend and coworker of the district attorney testified Willis and Wade had been romantically linked before Willis hired Wade for the case, an allegation both parties deny. Though the relationship has since ended, attorneys for the defendants allege Willis personally profited from the case while the two were together, arguing that Wade had used his earnings to pay for trips for the two. Wade testified that Willis always paid him back.
Should Willis be disqualified and removed from the prosecution, a new attorney would be appointed who could either continue with the charges or drop the case. There are updates in other cases involving the former president; a judge in the hush money case has set a trial date for March 25. On Friday, Feb. 16, a verdict is expected in Trump’s New York civil fraud trial.
FBI informant charged with lying about Biden family’s ties to Burisma
According to the indictment, Alexander Smirnov lied to the FBI in 2020 when he said Burisma paid both Bidens $5 million. Prosecutors said Smirnov “expressed bias” against Joe Biden, who was running for president then. Smirnov’s claims have been central to House Republicans’ efforts to impeach the president over his family business dealings.
Congressman Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, called for an end to the impeachment inquiry. Meanwhile, Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., the Republican chair of the committee, said the inquiry will continue, claiming it’s based on “a large record of evidence.” Smirnov faces charges of making a false statement and falsification of records. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.
New details released in Chiefs Super Bowl parade shooting
New details have been released about what led to panic following a shooting at the Super Bowl parade in Kansas City that left a woman dead and 22 others injured. Police report that about half of the injured victims are under the age of 16, with 11 children, the youngest just 6-years-old, taken to the hospital to be treated for injuries. Nine of them suffered gunshot wounds. Seven children have since been released from the hospital.
The identity of the woman who was killed in the shooting has also been confirmed. Lisa Lopez-Galvan, a mother of two and beloved radio host for the local KKFI station, died celebrating the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl victory with nearly a million other fans.
According to Kansas City police, the shooting was not terrorism or extremism; rather, it stemmed from a personal dispute between several people. Police initially detained three juveniles but released one they determined was not involved. Police said they are working with prosecutors to file charges against the other two juveniles who have been detained.
Amazon subscriber sues over ads playing on Prime Video
Details on what games and when they will be made available have not been disclosed. Revenue for Microsoft’s Xbox-related business grew by 61% in the fourth quarter, overtaking Windows in earnings, which is largely attributed to the $75 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard in October. Microsoft is now looking to generate even more revenue as its Xbox system ranks third in sales behind its rivals.
Iowa’s Caitlin Clark becomes all-time NCAA women’s basketball scorer
History was made in college sports last night as Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark became women’s college basketball’s all-time leading scorer. Clark only needed to score 8 points early in the game against Michigan to break the NCAA record.
Hitting a three-pointer to reach the milestone, Clark scored a career-best 49 points in the game in Iowa city, which put her at the top of the list with 3,569 career points. WNBA star Kelsey Plum, who previously held the college record, said she is “grateful to pass the baton” to Clark.
In December, Hunter Biden defied a subpoena to testify in private, which kickstarted a resolution to hold him in contempt of Congress that has since been called off. Biden’s lawyers have previously said a private testimony would allow Republicans to selectively leak manipulated information while demanding an opportunity for Hunter Biden to testify publicly.
Republicans view Hunter Biden as a key witness in their investigation into his father, President Joe Biden, alleging the elder Biden profited off of his family’s foreign business dealings during his tenure as vice president during the Obama administration. Republicans have not been able to show any proof of their claim up to this point.
“There is no evidence to support the allegations that my father was financially involved in my business because it did not happen,” Hunter Biden said in December, after defying the Republican’s subpoena. “There is no fairness or decency in what these Republicans are doing — they have lied over and over about every aspect of my personal and professional life — so much so that their lies have become the false facts believed by too many people.”
House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., told reporters that the president’s son will be able to testify publicly sometime after the private deposition.
Congress passes short-term funding bill to avert government shutdown: The Morning Rundown, Jan. 19, 2024
Congress passes a short-term funding bill with just hours left to avoid a government shutdown. And Japan looks to be the next country to land on the lunar surface with its ‘moon sniper’ explorer. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Friday, Jan. 19.
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Congress passes short-term funding bill to avert government shutdown
With just hours to go before Friday’s Jan. 19 deadline, Congress passed a short-term funding bill to avert a partial government shutdown, at least for a few more weeks. The bill now heads to President Joe Biden’s desk to be signed.
By a vote of 314-108, the House passed the stopgap measure on Thursday, Jan. 18, following the Senate’s 77-18 vote, extending current spending levels as four government funding bills were set to expire at midnight on Friday, Jan. 19. Funding for those operations now extends to March 1. The other government agencies, set to run out of funding on Feb. 2, will now receive funds through March 8.
BREAKING NEWS:
The Senate has just passed the bill to fund the government and avoid an unnecessary shutdown.
It's good news for every American, especially our veterans, parents and children, farmers and small businesses, all of whom would have felt the sting of a shutdown.
Some House Republicans met with Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., earlier on Thursday, Jan. 18, to add a border security measure to the stopgap bill, but that did not come to be. Last week, Johnson and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., agreed on overall spending levels of $1.66 trillion, with $866 billion for defense and $772.7 billion for non-defense spending. However, Johnson is experiencing opposition about the deal from within his party.
Hunter Biden agrees to deposition with Republicans behind closed doors
The House Oversight Committee has announced that the president’s son, Hunter Biden, will appear in front of Republicans for a private deposition next month. Confirmed by his legal team, Biden is slated to testify behind closed doors on Feb. 28, ending a months-long back and forth with House Republicans.
In December, Hunter Biden defied a subpoena to testify in private, which kickstarted a resolution to hold him in contempt of Congress that has since been called off. Republicans view Hunter Biden as a key witness in their investigation into President Joe Biden, alleging he profited off of his family’s foreign business dealings during his tenure as vice president during the Obama administration. Republicans have not been able to show any proof of their claim to this point.
House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., told reporters that the president’s son will be able to testify publicly sometime after the private deposition.
Former President Trump urges Supreme Court to keep his name on ballots
Following Colorado’s first-of-its-kind ruling to ban Trump’s name from the state’s ballot for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, which led to the deadly Jan. 6 capitol riot, Trump’s lawyers are urging the Supreme Court to reverse the ruling. First, Colorado took Trump’s name off the ballot, and then Maine followed suit.
With more states looking into similar matters, Trump’s legal time submitted a filing to the Supreme Court, which is scheduled to hear arguments from both sides on Feb. 8. With the 2024 presidential election looming and Super Tuesday in March just around the corner, the pressure for a decision is palpable.
Trump’s attorney’s writing that efforts to bar the GOP’s top presidential candidate from ballots “threaten to disenfranchise tens of millions of Americans and which promise to unleash chaos and bedlam if other state courts and state officials follow Colorado’s lead and exclude the likely Republican presidential nominee from their ballots.”
Now, American voters eagerly await a decision by SCOTUS. The 1872 14th amendment clause, which Colorado’s high court used to bar Trump from the ballot, is a Civil War provision that states that anyone who swore an oath to uphold the Constitution and then “engaged in insurrection” against it is no longer eligible to hold state or federal public office.
Trump’s attorneys contend that Trump did not engage in an insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021.
Netanyahu rejects calls for a Palestinian state post-war
In a press conference on Thursday, Jan. 18, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he objects to the idea of the establishment of a Palestinian state after the war ends with Hamas, striking an opposing tone to President Biden, who has called for a two-state solution.
Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have urged Netanyahu to seek a resolution where a revitalized Palestinian Authority would run Gaza once Hamas is defeated. In a nationally televised press conference, Netanyahu said that as prime minister, he needs to be able to say no, “even to our best friends.”
“The state of Israel must have security control over the entire territory west of the Jordan River; that’s a necessary condition; it clashes with the principle of sovereignty; what can you do?” Netanyahu said. “I tell this truth to our American friends, and I also stopped the attempt to impose a reality on us that would harm Israel’s security.”
Netanyahu’s remarks sparked an immediate response from the White House. National Security spokesman John Kirby said, “We obviously see it differently.”
The back-and-forth shows the growing rift between the two allies, as the U.S. suggested earlier this week it’s the right time for Israel to scale back its fighting after 100 days. In his remarks, Netanyahu vowed to continue Israel’s goal of destroying Hamas and bringing all the remaining hostages home. The prime minister said Israel will not stop short of an “absolute victory.”
In a memo sent to employees on Thursday, Jan. 18, the company said it wants to add more automation to its supply chain and will outsource some positions. In addition to the cuts, Macy’s will shut down five stores this year. The company currently operates more than 560 locations. Tony Spring, who formerly ran the company’s Bloomingdale business, will take over as CEO next month.
Japan attempts ‘pinpoint landing’ on the moon
Japan has its sights set on the moon as the country attempts to land its “moon sniper” explorer on the lunar surface on Friday, Jan. 19. If Japan’s first moon landing is successful, it will be the fifth country to pull off such a feat.
The “Smart Lander for Investigating Moon,” or Slim, was launched in September and uses “pinpoint landing” technology to reach within 328 feet of its specified target on the moon. The landing is scheduled for Friday morning, Jan. 19.
Meanwhile, a spacecraft that was intended to be the first lunar lander by a U.S. private company returned to Earth on Thursday, Jan. 18, burning up upon entering the planet’s atmosphere. A fuel leak doomed the U.S. lander’s journey early on. Another NASA-backed commercial moon mission is set to launch next month.
House Oversight moves to hold Hunter Biden in criminal contempt
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.