Wednesday's House Oversight Committee on the markup of holding First Son Hunter Biden in contempt ended up often devolving into discussions on "white privilege," including in a memorable use of time from Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), leading to a flurry of yielding time to multiple members to address the unrelated matter.
Crockett spoke about "two separate sets of rules," including when it applies to a history of those separate sets for "black and brown folk." She brought it back to Hunter Biden by claiming, as most other Democrats on the Committee did, that Hunter had tried to comply with a subpoena. In reality, he had offered to appear for public testimony, which Chairman James Comer (R-KY) made clear he could not do, and ended up skipping out on his closed-door testimony that was to take place on December 13.
The congresswoman offered that Hunter and others do not want to appear for closed-door testimony, despite how that is standard procedure, because "y'all lie, that's just the bottom line." The Democrat also claimed that the Committee "spin, spin, spin" when it comes to their investigation into Hunter, adding "I don't know how y'all are still standing right now 'cause you should be quite dizzy from all the spinning that you're constantly doing when it comes to spinning the truth."
The irony of @HouseGOP trying to talk about white privilege. Please. https://t.co/io53eWW2vS
— Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett (@RepJasmine) January 10, 2024
Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (D-MD), whom Crockett yielded her remaining time to, bent over backwards to gush over how her words, as he put it, were "eloquent and powerful and irrefutable remarks."
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) went next to spoke briefly, and it initially appeared that he would yield his remaining time to Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), but Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), who had been referenced by Crockett, was allowed to speak to clear her name. Mace had spoken about Hunter Biden's "white privilege" earlier in the hearing.
Mace used her time to speak about how she had served as the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Ranking during the previous Congress, how she worked to investigate deaths occurring at the prison in her district, and the historic nature of civil rights in her district as well.
"So I am very well aware of our rich history and try to recognize it as best as I can in the position that I have, and I resent the fact that you're going to throw that in my face up here," she emphasized. "I'm one of the few people that you'll see on my side of the aisle trying to do to the right thing with the right people every single day," Mace added before yielding to Donalds.
Donalds also addressed the matter, referring to what was taking place as "a very interesting hearing," informing Rep. Michael Waltz (R-FL), a new member to the Committee who had just recently shared his remarks that "yes, it usually gets like this."
In reminding that Donald Trump Jr. appeared for Congressional subpoenas, Donalds pointed out "this wasn't about Hunter Biden's white privilege, it's about Hunter Biden's Democrat privilege." Unlike Hunter Biden, he didn't instead give a press conference on the Senate side of the Capitol, Donalds also highlighted.
"By the way, Mr. Chairman," Donalds then said as an aside, "we should actually get to the legislation of contempt, the speechifying is great, but let's do our business, members." After some back-and-forth with Raskin about the January 6 Select Committee that Raskin was part of, Donalds added "let's move forward with our business, he should be held in contempt, there was a subpoena, he did not answer it," emphasizing "any other American would be held in contempt by Congress! Any other! This is Democrat privilege of the highest order, let's do our jobs."
It wasn't white privilege, offered Byron Donalds (R-Fla.). It was "Democrat privilege" that Hunter Biden flaunted today.
— Arthur Delaney 🇺🇸 (@ArthurDelaneyHP) January 10, 2024
Mace's "white privilege" comment has somehow become a major subplot of this unexpectedly very, very crazy hearing
After some comments Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) who weighed in on Mace, and from Raskin, Rep. Lisa McClain (R-MI) took her turn to speak and summed up the foolishness best during her remarks.
"I just want to bring everything back home," McClain began, reminding "this hearing is a contempt of Congress hearing for Hunter Biden. It's not about January 6, it's not about [Rep.] Scott Perry [R-PA], it's not about 'white privilege,' it's about a contempt of Congress hearing about Hunter Biden." She also noted that "while I appreciate the diversion tactics, like my colleague my from Florida [Donalds] said, let's get back to our business which is actually the contempt of Congress."
In addition to referencing narratives from AOC about "let [Hunter] comply" and from Raskin of "let's follow the rule of law," to say she agreed with them, McClain also pointed out how Hunter had been in violation of the Committee's rules on notices, which note that the Committee sets up the details. The congresswoman pointed to both the words of her Democratic colleagues and the rules to highlight how outrageous it was for Hunter Biden, or any defendant, to try to set up the process, explaining "unfortunately, that's not how it works."
McClain also emphasized "it's really simple," and that Hunter should "comply with the subpoena that we gave him." Since he's not doing so, he must be held in contempt.
As she sought to remind both Americans watching the circus and her Democratic colleagues, the hearing is about how "Hunter Biden was subpoenaed to answer Congress, right? That's it... but he violated the law by failing to appear before the Committee, you can't spin that!" McClain made clear that "the bottom line is Hunter did not show up, and he committed a crime," reminding "we are a land of laws and we must follow those laws, and that's what we're here to do today."
Like Donalds did, McClain reminded how Hunter had shown up to the Capitol for a press conference last month on the day of his scheduled deposition, though he "conveniently" did not even take questions from the press after giving prepared remarks. "So instead of showing up for his legal obligation, he showed up just steps away from a hearing room to spit in the face of this Congress, and unfortunately that is Hunter Biden's MO."
"We're merely doing our job," McClain noted. "What we're doing here today is showing the country that Hunter will not receive special treatment due to his last name. It's very very simple," she made clear. "And he will be held to the same standard that every other American citizen would be expected to do." The congresswoman again highlighted the absurdity of an average American trying with a judge what Hunter tried with the Committee.
"If we care about institution, if we care about democracy, at some point in time we have to hold the law and people who break the law accountable, or, like my colleagues said, we are going to have anarchy. So simply put, it's not about anything else. We're talking about Hunter Biden and his non-compliance. And you can get up and scream and holler and rant and rave and talk about everything but the fact we subpoenaed, legally, Hunter Biden, and he chose not to show up," McClain summarized.
In conclusion, she urged people to "read the rules! He has to follow the law," adding "I know that's a very foreign concept, but you have to do it," with a message that the Biden family too "has to follow the laws."
Can you imagine if any other American told a judge that they weren't complying with a subpoena?
— Representative Lisa McClain (@RepLisaMcClain) January 10, 2024
Your last name doesn't place you above the law, and Hunter Biden will not be given special treatment. pic.twitter.com/nct7b27dF6
"White privilege" wasn't the only unrelated topic to be discussed in a hearing about Hunter Biden, as many Democrats brought up former and potentially future President Donald Trump and January 6 as well, and would continue to do so.
Hunter Biden himself, as Spencer covered earlier on Wednesday, even made a brief appearance during the hearing before exiting when it was time for Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) to speak. Donald spoke to that appearance during his remarks above as well, referring to how Hunter had "the unmitigated gall" to show up in such a way.