House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) released his resolution — along with a full report — making his case for the lower chamber to hold Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress for his antics and lack of cooperation.
The resolution comes after Hunter Biden refused to comply with a congressional subpoena and instead traveled to Capitol Hill to host a stunt of a press conference on the day he was ordered to participate in a closed-door deposition with House investigators.
The resolution itself is brief:
Resolved, That Robert Hunter Biden shall be found to be in contempt of Congress for failure to comply with a congressional subpoena.
Resolved, That pursuant to 2 U.S.C. §§ 192 and 194, the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall certify the report of the Committee on Oversight and Accountability, detailing the refusal of Robert Hunter Biden to appear for a deposition before the Committee on Oversight and Accountability as directed by subpoena, to an appropriate United States attorney, to the end that Mr. Biden be proceeded against in the manner and form provided by law.
Resolved, That the Speaker of the House shall otherwise take all appropriate action to enforce the subpoena.
The accompanying report backing up the resolution explains again how Hunter Biden "violated federal law" and therefore "must be held in contempt of Congress" as a consequence of his "flagrant defiance of the Committee's deposition subpoenas" with a "contemptuous" display on Capitol Hill. "Accordingly, the Chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Accountability recommends that Congress find Robert Hunter Biden in contempt for his failure to comply with the Committee subpoena issued to him."
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More from Comer's report:
On December 13, 2023, Robert Hunter Biden failed to comply with deposition subpoenas issued by the Committees on Oversight and Accountability and the Judiciary for testimony relevant to the House of Representatives’ impeachment inquiry and the Committees’ oversight investigations. Instead, Mr. Biden opted to read a short, prepared statement in front of the Capitol. Accordingly, Mr. Biden has violated federal law, and must be held in contempt of Congress. Mr. Biden’s testimony is a critical component of the impeachment inquiry into, among other things, whether Joseph R. Biden, Jr., as Vice President and/or President: (1) took any official action or effected any change in government policy because of money or other things of value provided to himself or his family; (2) abused his office of public trust by providing foreign interests with access to him and his office in exchange for payments to his family or him; or (3) abused his office of public trust by knowingly participating in a scheme to enrich himself or his family by giving foreign interests the impression that they would receive access to him and his office in exchange for payments to his family or him.
[...]
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. 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. Mr. Biden’s refusal to comply with the Committees’ subpoenas is a criminal act. It constitutes contempt of Congress and warrants referral to the appropriate United States Attorney’s Office for prosecution as prescribed by law.
After Monday's release of the formal resolution and report, the House Oversight Committee will take up the matter at a markup on Wednesday morning in a busy week on Capitol Hill.
The House is also slated to begin impeachment hearings related to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas' dereliction of duty amid the border crisis this week and faces down government shutdown deadlines of January 19 and February 2.
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