House Majority Whip Tom Emmer wants Democrats to hold Hunter Biden answerable ahead of a hearing on whether to hold the president’s son in contempt of Congress for skipping out on a hearing last month.
The House Oversight and Accountability Committee is slated to decide Wednesday whether to hold him in such contempt for refusing a subpoena stemming from the impeachment inquiry into whether his father had a hand in the family’s alleged shady business practices.
The resolution will likely pass the Republican-led committee, meaning the measure will get sent to the House floor for a vote. Mr. Emmer, Minnesota Republican, is calling on Democrats, who have called the impeachment inquiry a sham, to support the rule of law.
“Hunter Biden’s failure to comply with a lawfully issued subpoena is not only illegal — it’s a slap in the face to Americans who deserve transparency and accountability regarding the Biden family’s corrupt business dealings,” Mr. Emmer told The Washington Times.
He continued, “If Democrats care about upholding the rule of law, they will unanimously support the Oversight and Judiciary committees’ contempt resolution this week.”
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 skipped the interview, instead holding a press conference on the Capitol lawn, where he denounced the GOP-led inquiry.
In a report recommending that he be held in contempt, House Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer, Kentucky Republican, wrote that Hunter Biden’s closed-door testimony was critical to the GOP’s impeachment inquiry.
Specifically, Mr. Comer said the testimony could provide light on whether President Biden made policy changes to bolster his family’s alleged influence-peddling scheme and whether he provided foreign interests access to his office while he was vice president.
“[Hunter 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,” Mr. Comer wrote.
• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washingtontimes.com.
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