Hunter Says He Will Honor New Congress Subpoena
Shortly after a vote for the House to hold him in contempt of Congress was set on Friday, Hunter Biden expressed a willingness to submit to a closed-door deposition to Congress if the House Oversight and Judiciary committees issues new subpoenas.
Hunter Biden says he would sit for deposition with new subpoena https://t.co/YnZTy29f3L pic.twitter.com/cIZ529HUX1
— The Hill (@thehill) January 13, 2024
In a letter sent to the heads of the panels, Rep. James Comer (R-KY) and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), Hunter’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell said that the president’s son will comply with a request for a private hearing now that the impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden has been formalized.
“Consequently, the November 8 and 9, 2023, deposition subpoenas to Mr. Biden and the contempt resolutions approved by your committees on January 10, 2024, based on those subpoenas were and are legally invalid. You have not explained why you are not interested in transparency and having the American people witness the full and complete testimony of Mr. Biden at a public hearing,” the letter began.
Lowell added, “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. We will accept such a subpoena on Mr. Biden’s behalf.”
In December, Hunter defied the House’s subpoena for a closed-door hearing with the House panels, insisting that he would only testify in public.
In response to that, Republicans advanced a resolution on Wednesday to hold him in contempt of Congress.
Lowell claimed in his Friday letter that the subpoena issued to Hunter initially is “legally invalid.”
However, Comer and Jordan issued a joint statement defending the legality of the subpoenas and making it known that the plans to hold Hunter in contempt of Congress still stands.
“House Republicans have been resolute in demanding Hunter Biden sit for a deposition in the ongoing impeachment inquiry. While we are heartened that Hunter Biden now says he will comply with a subpoena, make no mistake: Hunter Biden has already defied two valid, lawful subpoenas,” the two committee chairmen wrote in the statement.
While they promised to work on a new date for Hunter’s deposition, the Republican leaders made it clear that they “will not tolerate any additional stunts or delay from Hunter Biden” and will therefore, not pause their plans to hold him accountable for his defiance to Congress.