The U.S. House Judiciary and Oversight committees held Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress today for refusing to testify weeks ago after receiving subpoenas.
The Judiciary party-line vote was 23-14; Oversight’s was 25-11.
The votes send the motion to the full House. Neither was a surprise.
The Issue at Hand
Though the contempt resolution is connected to the House inquiry into the impeachment of President Biden for his corrupt business activities with his son, the matter at hand today regarded the younger Biden’s refusing to testify for that inquiry in defiance of lawful subpoenas.
Noting that the two committees sought Hunter Biden’s testimony on the “service” the Bidens provided to foreign entities in exchange for money, Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) recalled that the committees issued valid subpoenas for Biden to appear before them on December 13.
Biden showed up at the Capitol, Jordan continued, “but did not come to the committees for that deposition. Instead, he staged a press conference in front of the Capitol”:
This flagrant disregard for Congress’ constitutional oversight role clearly merits a citation of contempt. It’s an open-and-shut case. Mr. Biden was issued an authorized opinion and without asserting any valid privilege … he didn’t show up to testify. This is a vote to protect our institution.
Hunter Biden is a critical witness in the House’s official impeachment inquiry and uniquely possesses knowledge about what role the president may have played in leveraging policy making decisions to enrich the Biden family. Of course, the American people deserve to hear directly from Hunter Biden about these facts. And we fully intend for Mr. Biden to testify before the public. But as is often the practice across committees under Republicans and Democrats, he should first sit for a deposition so that the American people get a full airing of the facts.
Jordan then listed some of the committees’ questions about Clan Biden’s business dealings and selling what associate Devon Archer called their “brand.”
Oversight chieftain James Comer (R-Ky.) said the same thing. Biden “blatantly defied two lawful subpoenas.” His “willful 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 the law. We will not provide Hunter Biden with special treatment because of his last name.”
If the full House votes to hold Biden in contempt, the matter would go to President Biden’s highly politicized Justice Department, which two whistleblowers accused of obstructing an investigation into Hunter.
DOJ would, supposedly, conduct an impartial investigation and decide whether to charge the president’s son with a federal crime.
The votes came two days after the committees released a summary of the credible if not iron-clad allegations that the Biden Mafia ran a bribery and influence-peddling scheme that involved China, Russia, Ukraine, Romania, and even Kazakhstan.
Hunter Biden Runs
Earlier in the day, Biden showed up unexpectedly for the Oversight hearing, which invited a tongue-lashing from GOP Representative Nancy Mace of South Carolina.
“You’re playing with the truth,” Mace fumed at the crack-smoking sex addict:
Hunter Biden wasn’t afraid to sell access to Joe Biden to the highest bidder when he was in elected office. He wasn’t afraid to trade on the Biden brand, peddle influence and share those ill-gotten gains with members of his family, including Joe Biden.
He wasn’t afraid to compromise the integrity of the presidency and vice presidency by involving Joe Biden in shady business deals with our foreign adversaries. But Hunter Biden, you were too afraid to show up for a deposition and you still can’t today.
My last message to you, Hunter Biden: You play stupid games, you win stupid prizes.
When it came time for Georgia’s GOP Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene to speak, the 53-year-old man-child fled the hearing room like a boy taking his marbles and going home because he lost his favorite thumper.
“Excuse me, Hunter, apparently you’re afraid of my words.… Wow, that’s too bad. I think it’s clear and obvious for everyone watching this hearing today that Hunter Biden is terrified of strong conservative Republican women, because he can’t even face my words as I was about to speak to him,” said Greene.
“Hunter Biden just walked in our Oversight hearing to hold him in contempt,” Greene posted to X:
Hunter can’t follow the law!
Showing up after he’s broken the law by violating his subpoena is not following the law, Hunter must follow the law!!
All Hunter has done is break the law.
Outside, as Biden attorney Abbe Lowell tried to hold something of an impromptu news conference, a reporter blurted out an indelicate question: “What kind of crack do you normally smoke Mr. Biden?!”
