House Republicans plan to vote on Wednesday to begin their investigation into Joe Biden’s possible impeachment formally, but Hunter Biden, the president’s son, has refused to comply with their subpoena and speak privately about his financial transactions, causing friction among legislators.
Biden said the investigation was without merit and hinted he would refuse to answer a House Oversight Committee subpoena for an undercover interview. According to Republican Darrell Issa, if Hunter Biden does not appear, the panel will likely find him guilty of contempt of Congress.
It is expected that House Republicans will vote to approve the inquiry on Wednesday, with a planned Thursday departure for the three-week holiday vacation. They claim that when Joe Biden was vice president from 2009 to 2017, he and his family leveraged the family name, essentially taking bribes for favors and influence. All eyes are on the younger Biden’s financial transactions as they do their probe.
In the 2024 presidential election run-up, the Biden administration has denied wrongdoing and cast any investigations as politically motivated. In addition to the years-long criminal probe that has led to federal guns and tax charges, Hunter Biden has spoken about his battles with alcohol and drug addiction.
Hunter Biden was invited to attend a first public hearing, but Republicans have declined, stating that they would prefer him to speak privately first.
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) backed Hunter Biden’s choice not to testify in private by saying that Republicans were twisting and distorting the facts and picking and choosing which information to use.
Republicans will consider advancing with measures to place Hunter in contempt of Congress after discovering he will not attend Wednesday’s planned deposition. Even as of Tuesday, the presence of Hunter Biden for the closed-door deposition mandated by their subpoena remained uncertain to the Oversight and Judiciary committees.
Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R–Calif.) unofficially began an investigation into President Biden’s potential impeachment in September, and the House is expected to vote on Wednesday to sanction the probe. Republicans in the House have failed to provide proof to back up their claims, while the president and congressional Democrats have denied any wrongdoing for months.
Before the House returns to Washington in the second week of January, it is doubtful that a contempt vote would occur since Congress is scheduled to depart on Thursday until the new year.
