White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said President Biden was “familiar” with what his son, Hunter Biden, planned to say in a dramatic public statement on Capitol Hill Wednesday defying a congressional subpoena.
“The president was certainly familiar with what his son was going to say,” Ms. Jean-Pierre told reporters. “And I think what you saw was from the heart from his son and you’ve heard me say this — you’ve heard the president say this — when it comes to the president, the first lady, they are proud of him, continuing to rebuild his life. They are proud of their son.”
Ms. Jean-Pierre stonewalled questions on whether the elder Biden offered advice to his son or helped draft his statement. She also refused to say whether Mr. Biden supported his decision to defy the House subpoena.
“I don’t have anything else to add,” Ms. Jean-Pierre responded to a flurry of questions that followed her remarks.
The comments come hours after Hunter Biden appeared outside the Capitol to discuss his decision to ignore a subpoena issued by the Republican-controlled House for a closed-door deposition. Instead, Hunter Biden gave brief remarks lashing out about the GOP-led effort to tie the president to his business deals, and decried the emotional toll the House investigation has taken on him and his family.
Hunter Biden has long offered to testify before Congress in an open hearing rather than a closed-door deposition that lawmakers demanded. Republicans have insisted that Democrats would disrupt a public hearing.
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In response to Hunter Biden defying the subpoena, Republicans said they would initiate contempt proceedings.
Ms. Jean-Pierre also declined to address Mr. Biden’s 2021 comments in which he called for the Justice Department to prosecute those who refused congressional subpoenas from the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack at the U.S. Capitol.
“I hope that the committee goes after them and holds them accountable,” he told reporters at the time.
Pressed on whether he thinks those people should be prosecuted by the Justice Department, Mr. Biden responded, “I do, yes.”
When asked to square Mr. Biden’s firm stance on congressional subpoenas with his son’s refusal to comply with one, Ms. Jean-Pierre said she didn’t have anything to add.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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