Hunter Biden will provide closed-door testimony to a House committee investigating his father for corruption as he faces a contempt of Congress charge for refusing to comply with two subpoenas.
Hunter Biden’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, wrote to lawmakers Friday criticizing the two subpoenas and the looming House contempt of Congress vote against the president’s son. He offered, however, to accept a new request now that the House has formally voted to hold an impeachment inquiry into President Biden’s involvement in his son’s business deals.
“If you issue a new proper subpoena, now that there is a duly authorized impeachment inquiry, Mr. Biden will comply for a hearing or deposition. We will accept such a subpoena on Mr. Biden’s behalf,” Mr. Lowell wrote.
The agreement comes two days after House panels voted to hold Hunter Biden in contempt for failing to show up for a Dec. 13 deposition. The GOP-led House was poised to vote on the contempt resolution as early as next week. It likely would have passed, and the citation would have been referred to the Justice Department.
House lawmakers said they plan to keep the contempt vote on the table until Hunter Biden agrees to a date for the deposition.
“While we will work to schedule a deposition date, we will not tolerate any additional stunts or delay from Hunter Biden. The American people will not tolerate, and the House will not provide, special treatment for the Biden family,” said House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer, Kentucky Republican, and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, Ohio Republican, on Friday.
While the Justice Department probably wouldn’t pursue the case, the contempt charge loomed as the president’s son battled 12 criminal charges filed against him by special counsel David Weiss for failure to pay taxes and, in a separate case, for purchasing a gun while using drugs.
Hunter Biden’s offer to cooperate with the House investigation came a day after he pleaded not guilty to the tax charges in a federal court in Los Angeles. The nine charges, which carry a possible prison sentence of up to 17 years, allege he failed to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes over a four-year period and, in a 56-page indictment, chronicled his spending on drugs, prostitutes and luxurious living.
The president’s son made a surprise appearance at Wednesday’s contempt vote, causing a stir as he sat defiantly in the front row of the House Oversight Committee room before storming out ahead of the party-line vote to hold him in contempt.
Hunter Biden said he believes he’s being targeted unfairly by Republicans who are seeking to politically damage his father.
Mr. Lowell, in a scathing seven-page letter to House lawmakers Friday, argued the initial subpoenas were “invalid” because they were issued weeks before the Dec. 13 vote by the House to open an impeachment inquiry into the president.
Mr. Lowell also lashed out at lawmakers for accusing Hunter Biden of seeking favorable treatment from the committee because he’s the president’s son.
Hunter Biden was subpoenaed to appear at a Dec. 13 deposition but instead staged a news conference on the lawn of the Capitol, offering to provide public testimony instead and ripped the GOP-led House investigation.
Mr. Lowell’s letter cited Mr. Comer’s statements prior to issuing the subpoenas inviting witnesses in the impeachment inquiry to appear at depositions or committee hearings. Mr. Comer also said Hunter Biden was welcome to appear in front of his panel, a reference to an open hearing.
“Obviously, accepting your unqualified invitation to choose a forum for his testimony is neither seeking ’special treatment’ nor contemptuous behavior,” Mr. Lowell wrote. “Nevertheless, your actions demonstrate that you were not serious about getting facts or the truth, and simply wanted to stage some ’gotcha’ political theater and create another legal issue for [Hunter] Biden.”
Republicans say Hunter Biden is the central witness in their investigation of his father’s alleged involvement in foreign business deals that netted the family and business associates $24 million.
President Biden has repeatedly denied profiting from his family’s accords. He said checks from his brother James Biden and his son were loan repayments.
House Republicans cited bank reports and witness testimony gathered in the impeachment inquiry that they say point to the president’s involvement in influence peddling.
Witnesses said Mr. Biden phoned in to or stopped by Hunter Biden’s business meetings and that the then-vice president spoke by phone to executives from Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian gas company seeking his help in skirting a corruption investigation.
• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.
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