In a recent development, Hunter Biden’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, has informed the House Oversight and House Judiciary Committees that Hunter Biden will comply with a new subpoena if it is issued under the “duly authorized impeachment inquiry.” This comes after the committees formally recommended holding Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress for defying previous subpoenas related to the House impeachment inquiry against President Biden.
Abbe Lowell argues that the initial subpoenas were “legally invalid,” as they were issued before the full House of Representatives voted to formalize the impeachment inquiry. However, he states that if a new proper subpoena is issued, Hunter Biden will comply for a hearing or deposition.
The House Rules Committee is scheduled to meet on Tuesday, Jan. 16, to prepare a contempt of Congress resolution. Once prepared, a full floor vote will be held to determine whether the first son should be prosecuted on the matter. Sources suggest that a full House vote could take place as early as Wednesday.
Lowell includes a footnote in his letter, mentioning that a hybrid process for the hearing could be considered, which would involve a public deposition with alternating rounds of questions for Republicans and Democrats, similar to a closed-door deposition. Notably, four Republicans voted in support of this process during the committee’s discussion.
During a House Oversight Committee markup session, Hunter Biden made a surprise appearance with his attorneys but ultimately left before the vote on the resolution. Prior to this, he had offered to testify publicly but was denied by committee Chairman James Comer and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, who stressed that he would not receive special treatment. Comer and Jordan have vowed to release the transcript of Hunter Biden’s deposition.
Comer has stated that Hunter Biden’s refusal to comply with the subpoenas constitutes contempt of Congress and is a criminal act. He believes that this warrants referral to the appropriate United States Attorney’s Office for prosecution.
In a separate development, Hunter Biden recently pleaded not guilty to federal tax charges and federal gun charges stemming from Special Counsel David Weiss’s investigation.
The White House has declined to comment on whether it was informed in advance about Hunter Biden’s attendance at the House Oversight’s markup session. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre emphasized that Hunter Biden, as a private citizen, makes his own decisions regarding how to respond to Congress.
House Republicans, including Comer and Jordan, have expanded their investigation to probe whether President Biden was involved in his son’s defiance of the subpoena, suggesting that it could constitute an impeachable offense.
As this situation unfolds, it remains to be seen how the House Rules Committee and the full House of Representatives will proceed with the contempt of Congress resolution against Hunter Biden.
