U.S. News
Biden impeachment probe: House Oversight Committee considers holding Hunter Biden in contempt
By Jake Beardslee · January 5, 2024
In brief…
- The House Oversight Committee plans to consider holding Hunter Biden in contempt for defying a subpoena in the impeachment probe against President Biden.
- Hunter Biden was subpoenaed for a closed-door deposition but said he would only testify publicly and then did not comply.
- Democrats argue there's no precedent for contempt against someone willing to testify publicly, while Republicans say he violated the subpoena.
- If approved by the full House, the contempt resolution could be referred to the DOJ for prosecution.
The House Oversight Committee is preparing to hold a meeting next week to consider a resolution to hold Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress for defying subpoenas related to the impeachment inquiry against President Biden. Hunter Biden was subpoenaed by the Oversight Committee and Judiciary Committee last month for a closed-door deposition as part of the impeachment probe led by House Republicans. However, Hunter Biden said he would only agree to testify publicly, and when that request was denied, he appeared at the Capitol to read a statement to the press rather than comply with the subpoena.
The committees had planned to question Hunter Biden about evidence they claim shows President Biden was aware of and benefited from the Biden family’s business dealings. Committee chairs James Comer and Jim Jordan said they would take steps to hold Hunter Biden in contempt for violating the subpoena. The resolution would need to be approved by the full House before being referred to the Justice Department for potential prosecution. Democrats have criticized the move, arguing there is no precedent for holding a private citizen who offered public testimony in contempt.