President Joe Biden’s son appeared at a U.S. House of Representatives hearing on Jan. 10 as lawmakers consider holding him in contempt of Congress for failing to comply with subpoenas.
Mr. Biden, who did not speak, sat between Kevin Morris, a lawyer and film producer, and Abbe Lowell, his primary attorney.
Republicans said the appearance amounted to “spitting in our face.”
“You are not above the law,” Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) told Mr. Biden.
Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), speaking after Mr. Biden left the room, said the president’s son had the “unmitigated gall to show up here, when we know that we’re going through the legislation for contempt.”
Lawmakers are considering whether to approve a resolution that would hold Mr. Biden in contempt of Congress and refer the matter to federal prosecutors.
Republicans quickly vowed to move to hold him in contempt and were taking the first formal step to do so on Wednesday.
Mr. Biden “blatantly defied two lawful subpoenas,” Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said during the markup.
“We will not provide Hunter Biden special treatment because of his last name. All Americans must be treated equally under the law, and that includes the Bidens,” he also said.
Democrats have said that Mr. Biden should be able to testify in public, pointing to how Mr. Comer said during a podcast interview about witnesses, “we can bring these people in for depositions or committee hearings, whichever they choose.”
“The chairman said in front of the country several times to Hunter Biden, you can show up in front of the world, in front of the public. Hunter Biden took him up on that offer. He showed up here today. He showed up here in the past,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said. “What we should do is allow the man to testify,” she said.
Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) said that because Mr. Biden had appeared, the panel should hear from him. He asked for a show of hands of members who agreed but did not request a vote.
The House Judiciary Committee, chaired by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), was also marking up a contempt resolution on Wednesday.
“Mr. Biden’s flagrant defiance of the committees’ deposition subpoenas—while choosing to appear nearby on the Capitol grounds to read a prepared statement on the same matters—is contemptuous, and he must be held accountable for his unlawful actions,” one resolution stated.
“With the possible exception of President Biden, Mr. Biden is the most important witness possessing information about President Biden’s involvement in his son’s business dealings,” it also stated.
A majority vote would send the resolutions to the full House, which is controlled by Republicans and recently approved an impeachment inquiry into President Biden.
A contempt finding could bring prosecution. That has happened with several Trump administration officials. Two were convicted and have been sentenced to, or are facing, a jail sentence.
Republicans say available evidence indicates the president benefited from his son and other family members using his name in business deals. They say it’s common practice to question witnesses in private and release transcripts later. The format enables digging deeper into pressing questions, as opposed to public hearings that feature five minutes for each member.
Mr. Biden told reporters in December, before declining to take any questions, that “there is no evidence to support the allegations that my father was financially involved in my business because it did not happen.”
“It’s clear the Republican chairmen aren’t interested in getting the facts or they would allow Hunter to testify publicly,” Hunter Biden’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, said in a recent statement to news outlets. “Instead, House Republicans continue to play politics by seeking an unprecedented contempt motion against someone who has from the first request offered to answer all their proper questions.”
The White House has described the inquiry as a “political stunt” that is not based on evidence.
Mr. Biden is also scheduled to be arraigned in California on Thursday on tax charges filed by special counsel David Weiss, who has been investigating him for years.
According to court documents, Mr. Biden willfully failed to pay taxes for multiple years.
Mr. Biden is also dealing with felony gun charges in Delaware after he allegedly possessed a gun despite being addicted to drugs.
