House lawmakers will vote next week on a resolution to hold President Biden’s son in contempt of Congress after he refused to provide closed-door testimony about his father’s involvement in his lucrative business deals.
Hunter Biden was scheduled to appear on Dec. 13 for a deposition in front of the House Oversight and Accountability and Judiciary committees, but he blew off the interview and staged a press conference on the Capitol lawn, where he denounced the GOP-led inquiry.
The president’s son has refused to provide a closed-door deposition and, through lawyer Abbe Lowell, has offered instead to appear at a public hearing.
The Oversight panel responded Friday, announcing it will vote Wednesday to hold Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress “for defying lawful subpoenas” that were issued Nov. 8.
The Republican-led panel will probably approve the contempt resolution and propel it to the House floor.
“We will not provide him with special treatment because of his last name,” Oversight Chairman James Comer, Kentucky Republican, said.
Hunter Biden’s testimony is central to the GOP’s impeachment inquiry into whether his father helped his family secure lucrative business deals while serving as vice president. Hunter Biden raked in millions of dollars from China, Ukraine, Russia and other countries, and witnesses say he secured the deals by leveraging the Biden brand, namely his father.
Mr. Lowell did not respond to a request for comment about the planned vote. He told the panel in November that lawmakers should instead be investigating former President Donald Trump on corruption charges, not Mr. Biden or his son.
“Unlike members of the Trump family, Hunter is a private person who has never worked in any family business nor ever served in the White House or in any public office,” Mr. Lowell wrote to Mr. Comer last Nov. 28. “Notwithstanding this stark difference, you have manipulated Hunter’s legitimate business dealings and his times of terrible addiction into a politically motivated basis for hearings to accuse his father of some wrongdoing.”
• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.
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