Hunter Biden appeared on Capitol Hill to attend congressional meetings calling for him to be held in contempt of Congress, setting the stage for a dramatic standoff on live television. He was met by House Republicans who want his testimony as part of their impeachment inquiry into his father. Hunter Biden and his legal team left the hearing after Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene called him a “coward.”
The House Republicans are holding separate committee votes on whether to recommend formal contempt charges against Hunter Biden. He is willing to testify publicly, but the Republicans insist the testimony be given behind closed doors. The controversy has continued to escalate, with correspondence from the Republican-led House Oversight Committee in the fall and a news conference where Biden emphasized he would comply with the subpoena but only with public testimony. His attorney maintains that the claims of illegal conduct are baseless and that House Republicans are refusing to get the full story by seeking an unprecedented contempt motion against someone who has offered to answer all their questions.
House Republicans’ emphasis on a private deposition is likely to provoke further stand-offs and legal battles, given the issue with obtaining Hunter Biden’s testimony. The White House’s involvement in the dispute is an added wrinkle in the conflict as the back-and-forth between Hunter Biden and House Republicans continues to escalate.
