Raw: [
- Hunter Biden defies GOP subpoena, blasts impeachment inquiry of dad USA TODAY
- Hunter Biden defies House GOP subpoena to testify in private NBC News
- Hunter Biden will not appear for deposition, maintains his father was not involved in his business dealings Fox News
] {Article Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2023/12/13/hunter-biden-defies-house-subpoena/71903501007/}
Start the day smarter ☀️ How often do women giving birth at individual hospitals experience heart attacks, seizures, kidney failure, blood transfusions or other potentially deadly problems? Notable deaths in 2023 Human trafficking lawsU.S. Israel War Sports Entertainment Life Money Tech Travel OpinionONLY AT USA TODAY:Newsletters For Subscribers From the Archives Crossword eNewspaper Magazines Investigations Weather Forecast Podcasts Video Humankind Just Curious Best-selling BooklistPets Food Reviewed Coupons Homefront Blueprint Best Auto Insurance Best Pet Insurance Best Travel Insurance Best Credit Cards Best CD Rates Best Personal Loans POLITICSHunter BidenAdd TopicHunter Biden defies GOP subpoena, blasts inquiry in emotional public remarks on Capitol Hill Bart JansenUSA TODAYHunter Biden defied a House subpoena Wednesday but in rare public remarks he lashed out at Republicans over the toll their investigations have taken on his family and hit back at what he said were false allegations about his father.“I’m here to today to make sure that the House committee’s illegitimate investigations of my family does not proceed on distortions, manipulated evidence and lies,” Biden told reporters outside the Capitol.Despite Republican warnings he could be held in contempt of Congress, Hunter Biden argued he would testify at an open hearing rather than a closed-door deposition as lawmakers required. But Republicans said Democrats would have disrupted a public hearing. Republicans said they would begin contempt proceedings.“We’re disappointed he didn’t show up,” said Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee. “If you do it in an open forum now, you’re going to get filibusters, you’re going to get speeches, you’re going to get all kinds of things. What we want is the facts.”In his speech, Hunter Biden denied that his father had anything to do with his serving on the board of Ukraine energy company, Chinese business partners or other investments.“Let me state as clearly as I can: My father was not financially involved in my business, not as a practicing lawyer, not as a board member of Burisma, not my partnership with a Chinese private businessman, not in my investments at home, nor abroad,” Hunter Biden said.House Republicans subpoenaed Biden to ask about his overseas business deals in a closed-door deposition as part of an impeachment inquiry into his father, President Joe Biden.Biden’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, had offered to have him testify at a public hearing, to avoid the risk of having parts of his testimony leaked selectively. But Republicans refused the offer saying Democrats would grandstand at a hearing and that they would dictate the terms of his appearance.Rep. James Comer, who issued the subpoena as head of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, said the panel has accumulated “mountains of evidence,” including documents, bank statements, emails and texts.“This has been a serious, credible, transparent investigation from Day One,” Comer said. “This is an investigation about public corruption at the highest levels.”Comer said the committee could hold a public hearing after gathering information in a closed-door deposition.“We expect to depos the president’s son and then we’ll be more than happy to have a hearing with him,” Comer said.Three committees − Judiciary, Oversight and Accountability, and Ways and Means − are investigating Hunter Biden as part of the impeachment inquiry. The House is scheduled to vote Thursday to formally authorize the inquiry that the Oversight panel has pursued.Hunter Biden accused Republicans of attacking him for six years in order to hurt his father politically, under former President Donald Trump and lawmakers under his banner of Make America Great Again.”For six years, MAGA Republicans, including members of the House committees who are in a closed-door session right now, have impugned my character, invaded my privacy, attacked my wife, my children, my family and my friends,” Hunter Biden said. “They have ridiculed by struggle with addiction. They’ve belittled my recovery and they’ve tried to dehumanize me, all to embarrass my father, who has devoted his entire public life to service.”Hunter Biden acknowledged he was “extremely irresponsible” with his finances during his battles with drug addiction. But he said it was absurd to suggest it’s the foundation for an impeachment of his father.“It’s shameless,” Hunter Biden said. “There is no evidence to support the allegations that my father was involved in my business because it did not happen.”A member of the Oversight committee, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., said Republicans were reversing their decisions to hold a public inquiry and transcripts of depositions in the future.“They have devised a story they cannot substantiate with facts,” she said. “They want to make sure the evidence remains behind closed doors and away from public view.”Here is where things stand on the Hunter Biden investigation:What does House GOP want to ask Hunter Biden?Comer has accused Hunter Biden of being at the center of a web of 20 shell companies that received millions of dollars from foreign entities in Ukraine, China and elsewhere, and allegedly funneled money to his father. The accusations, which Hunter Biden and the White House have called baseless, are at the heart of the impeachment inquiry.The accusations basically are that Hunter Biden, the president’s brother James Biden and other business associates received big-dollar business deals in exchange for allegedly peddling influence with the former vice president and president. The committee tracked financial transactions that lawmakers said showed money flowing from foreign companies, in some cases with links to foreign governments such as China, to Hunter Biden and his relatives.But Joe Biden has called the accusations “lies” and said he didn’t participate in his son’s business deals. Lowell has called the allegations “false, recycled and debunked.”Hunter Biden faces gun and tax charges in federal courtThe congressional showdown comes as Hunter Biden faces gun and tax charges, after the collapse of a plea agreement in July.In Delaware, Hunter Biden was indicted in September on three charges basically alleging he lied about being addicted to drugs when buying a gun in 2018. He has pleaded not guilty and Lowell has asked for the charges to be dismissed as unconstitutional.In California, he was charged last week with three felonies and six misdemeanors for allegedly failing to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes from 2016 to 2019. He had paid the taxes before the plea agreement. His arraignment hasn’t been set yet.He is also under investigation for possible violations of the Foreign Agent Registration Act, which requires people who lobby the federal government for foreign interests to register with the Justice Department. But he hasn’t been charged and the issue wasn’t part of his plea agreement.What does contempt of Congress mean?The Oversight committee and the full House could vote to hold Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress and recommend the Justice Department prosecute him criminally, as happened twice during the Trump administration.But the department would decide whether to prosecute the president’s son, and it rejected recommendations to prosecute two White House aides during the Trump administration.Jordan, the head of the Judiciary Committee, said Hunter Biden’s representatives said he wouldn’t appear because the impeachment inquiry hadn’t been authorized with a vote of the full House. But Jordan said the vote was expected to be approved Thursday.Jordan said lawyers for the Oversight and Judiciary committees would explore a potential contempt citation against Hunter Biden.“When Congress asks you to come, you’re supposed to come and testify,” Jordan said.Democrats noted that a handful of House Republicans, including Jordan defied subpoenas from the Democratic-led House committee that investigated the Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021.Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the Oversight committee, has called the threat of contempt “a joke.””Comer doesn’t want the truth − and can’t handle it,” Raskin said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.Featured Weekly AdAbout Us Newsroom Staff Ethical Principles Responsible Disclosure Request a Correction Press Releases Accessibility Sitemap Subscription Terms & Conditions Terms of Service Privacy Policy Your Privacy ChoicesContact Us Help Center Manage Account Give Feedback Get Home Delivery eNewspaper USA TODAY Shop USA TODAY Print Editions Licensing & Reprints Advertise With Us Careers Internships Support Local BusinessNews Tips Submitting letters to the editor Podcasts Newsletters Mobile Apps Facebook X Instagram LinkedIn Threads Post YouTube Reddit Flipboard10Best Reviewed Best-selling Booklist Jobs Sports Betting Sports Weekly Studio Gannett Classifieds Coupons Homefront Blueprint Auto Insurance Pet Insurance Travel Insurance Credit Cards Banking Personal Loans LLC Formation Payroll Software© 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC.