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Hunter Biden Blatantly Defied Two Subpoenas...and Now He'll Have to Face the Consequences

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  January 05, 2024 10:45 AM

Hunter Biden defied a subpoena from the House Oversight Committee when he refused to appear on December 13 for closed door testimony. Instead, he showed up to the Capitol to give remarks at a press conference on the Senate side, in a space reserved by Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), and then left. As House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) and House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) have been reminding since even before Hunter skipped out on his deposition, he could be held in contempt of Congress for such actions. 

Such action from the House is looking increasingly likely. On Friday morning, the Oversight Committee announced over X that the Committee "will consider a resolution and accompanying report" to hold Hunter in contempt, with the Judiciary Committee also doing a markup.

The announcement was first shared with NBC News, which noted in its report that "the markup will be held the day before Hunter Biden is scheduled to be arraigned in Los Angeles on the nine federal tax-related charges stemming from a separate special counsel investigation into his finances and other matters." The report, citing a "committee source," noted that "the timing was coincidental."

Hunter Biden had previously offered to appear for public testimony, but Comer quickly shut that idea down, rejecting the idea that the first son get to "play by his own rules." Comer, along with Jordan, also sent letters to Hunter's attorney, Abbe Lowell, making clear that he would not receive special treatmet.

In reposting the announcement, Comer emphasized that same point, writing "The President’s son doesn’t get special treatment."

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Such committees, along with the House Committee on Ways and Means under Rep. Jason Smith (R-M), have been investigating Hunter Biden and the role he and others may have played as part of the Biden crime family. 

That investigation includes President Joe Biden himself. Comer and Jordan sent a letter to White House Counsel Edward Siskel last week, pointing out that they were "compelled to examine as part of our impeachment inquiry whether the President engaged in a conspiracy to obstruct a proceeding of Congress" with regards to Biden's "advanced awareness" that Hunter would skip out on the deposition and defy the subpoenas, citing statements from White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. The letter warned in their letter to Siskel that "[s]uch conduct could constitute an impeachable offense."

Biden is already facing an impeachment inquiry from House Republicans. The same day that Hunter was supposed to show up for his deposition, the House voted along party lines to authorize the inquiry.