Table Of Content
- Foreign governments spent millions at Trump businesses while he held office, Democrats say
- MORE: Hunter Biden seeks dismissal of federal gun charges
- House GOP preps contempt charges against Hunter Biden
- Allegations start to fall apart
- House Republicans prepare contempt charges against Hunter Biden for defying a subpoena
"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," Lowell wrote. "Chairman Comer does not want Hunter Biden to testify in public, just as he has refused to publicly release over a dozen interview transcripts, because he wants to keep up the carefully curated distortions, blatant lies, and laughable conspiracy theories that have marked this investigation," he said in a statement. "However, the facts and the evidence all show no wrongdoing and no impeachable offense by President Biden."
Foreign governments spent millions at Trump businesses while he held office, Democrats say
A political scientist at John Jay University, Brian Arbour, tells the Sun that he’s skeptical that the impeachment effort accomplished much for the Republicans politically — at least at this stage. On Thursday, Comer also sent letters to the heads at the National Archives and Records Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation and Treasury Department requesting documents on the Biden family's buisness negotiations domestic and abroad. He also sent letters requesting information regarding the relationship and communication between Eric Schwerin, Edward Prewitt and Georges Bergès, who alledgedly had buisness dealings and management with the Biden family. In a press conference on Thursday, Comer accused the Biden family of defrauding the United States, tax evasion, violating several laws and money laundering, among other accusations.
MORE: Hunter Biden seeks dismissal of federal gun charges
Comer and Jordan said in a statement that they have "significant evidence suggesting President Biden knew of, participated in, and benefitted from his family cashing in on the Biden name." Meanwhile, Comer single-handedly invited the president to testify at a hearing, but he rescinded the invitation after the White House declined, pivoting instead to asking for documents and written answers. The October election of Johnson, who was fully supportive of the investigation, provided a glimmer of hope. Despite the internal criticism, Comer still maintains the confidence of Speaker Mike Johnson and his leadership team. Comer’s co-leads, House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan and House Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith, are also fully behind the work. Some in the House GOP, granted the anonymity to speak freely, said they felt he often overpromised and underdelivered, with one GOP source who worked on the investigation telling CNN that people wished Comer had “reined in” his rhetoric.
House GOP preps contempt charges against Hunter Biden
House Republicans plan to move forward next week with holding Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress after the president’s son defied a congressional subpoena to appear for a private deposition last month. WASHINGTON — House Republicans plan to move forward next week with holding Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress after the president’s son defied a congressional subpoena to appear for a private deposition last month. "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 statement. "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."
House GOP hits pause on Hunter Biden contempt vote - POLITICO
House GOP hits pause on Hunter Biden contempt vote.
Posted: Tue, 16 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
While Republicans say their inquiry is ultimately focused on the president, they have taken particular interest in Hunter Biden and his overseas business dealings, from which they accuse the president of personally benefiting. Republicans have also focused a large part of their investigation on whistleblower allegations of interference in the long-running Justice Department investigation into the younger Biden’s taxes and his gun use. The Republican-led House Judiciary and Oversight committees will prepare a resolution next week to hold President Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden, in contempt of Congress for defying their subpoenas to appear for a closed-door deposition. Republicans have also focused a large part of their investigation on whistleblower allegations of interference in the long-running Justice Department investigation into the younger Biden’s taxes and his gun use.
Allegations start to fall apart
Instead of agreeing to the terms of the subpoena, Hunter Biden’s legal team responded that he was willing to answer questions but only in a public setting, arguing that he believed that Republicans would selectively leak or misrepresent his testimony. The committee did not agree to those terms and warned that if he did not appear on the scheduled date he would be held in contempt. Washington — House Republicans said Friday that they will move forward next week with an effort to hold Hunter Biden, President Biden's son, in contempt of Congress after he refused to comply with a congressional subpoena for closed-door testimony. Witness after witness brought in for closed-door interviews in January and February built a pile of testimony that refuted core tenants of the inquiry. Abbe Lowell, Hunter Biden's attorney, argued those subpoenas were invalid since they came before the House voted to approve the inquiry. In a letter on Friday, he told Reps. James Comer and Jim Jordan, the respective committee chairs, that his client would now comply with a new subpoena for testimony.
Even the House GOP’s impeachment of another favorite target, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, ultimately fizzled out, with the House narrowly impeaching him and the Senate quickly dispatching the charges without a trial. Similarly, an April Marquette University Law School poll found that some 47 percent of likely voters nationally see Mr. Biden as having behaved corruptly, compared to 63 percent who said the same of Mr. Trump. A Gallup survey released in early April found that fewer than half, or 46 percent, of Americans feel that Mr. Biden is trustworthy. For comparison, a September 2020 Gallup poll found that a majority, 52 percent, thought the then-candidate was trustworthy. The investigation may serve its purpose if that purpose was intended to be more political than practical.
Hunter Biden's team and House Republicans are in a showdown over his cooperation with the GOP's wide-ranging impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. The committees' chairmen, Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., and Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, have said they believe that Hunter Biden’s foreign business dealings were the result of influence peddling based on his father’s political status. But Republicans have yet to present any hard evidence that the president personally benefited from his son’s businesses.
House Republicans prepare contempt charges against Hunter Biden for defying a subpoena
"There is no precedent for the U.S. House of Representatives holding a private citizen in contempt of Congress who has offered to testify in public, under oath, and on a day of the Committee's choosing. Chairman Comer repeatedly urged Hunter Biden to appear at a Committee hearing, and Hunter Biden agreed," he said. Comer has grown increasingly frustrated as his investigation appears to be at a dead end, with Republicans resigned to the reality that they don’t have the votes to impeach the president, multiple sources with direct knowledge of the situation told CNN. House Republicans are promising to soldier on with their impeachment inquiry into President Biden despite a flagging case against the president, a conference divided on moving forward, and ambiguity as to whether impeachment has proved to be an effective political tool. Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, denounced Comer's decision to hold a vote on the contempt resolution, saying there is no precedent for the House holding a private citizen who has offered to testify publicly in contempt of Congress. “The Committees are interested in understanding the nature and purpose of any loans to or payments on behalf of Hunter Biden that may have occurred while Joe Biden was either a candidate for public office or holding public office.
A committee source said the timing was coincidental — Jan. 10 is the first full day the House will be in session this year. In an announcement first shared with NBC News, the Oversight Committee said it will hold a markup on Jan. 10 at 10 a.m. Before the markup, both committees will release a report outlining their rationale for holding Hunter Biden in contempt. But even without cameras, the president’s son failed to deliver the smoking gun Republicans were hoping for, leaving the inquiry at a standstill. Even GOP Rep. Darrell Issa remarked after the first hour of questioning that Hunter Biden was prepared for the interview.
Comer and Jordan responded to that offer later in the day but gave no indication that they intend to reissue their subpoenas. Sources familiar with the production said Biden has no editorial control in the filmmaking process for the film he is participating in. Morris’ payments to the IRS were not a focus of federal prosecutors, according to multiple sources familiar with the five-year investigation. Morris is mentioned in the federal indictment filed in December as a “personal friend” who provided about $200,000 for Hunter Biden’s rent. NBC News has reported that Morris began advising Hunter Biden in 2020 and arranged to pay about $2 million in outstanding tax obligations to the IRS for him in 2020 and 2021. Biden’s Hollywood attorney, Kevin Morris, is scheduled to sit for a transcribed interview with House Oversight, Judiciary and Ways and Means committee staff members Thursday, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.
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