House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) recently issued threats to Hunter Biden with a contempt of Congress charge on Wednesday shortly after the president’s son defied a congressional subpoena to show up for a deposition via Mediaite.
“We’re disappointed that he [Hunter] didn’t show up. I mean, he was just across the way at the Capitol. You think he could come here and sit for questions,” began Jordan, who rejected Biden’s call for a public hearing rather than a private question-and-answer session.
“You do it in an open format now you’re going to get 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,” he argued.
Jordan continued:
Finally, I would say this. Mr. Biden’s counsel and the White House have both argued that the reason he couldn’t come for a deposition was because there wasn’t a formal vote for an impeachment inquiry. Well, that’s going to happen in a few hours. We think it’s going to pass. We think the House of Representatives will go on record with a power that solely resides in the House to say we are in an official impeachment inquiry phase of our oversight. And when that happens, we’ll see what their excuse is then. They should have been here today, but once we take that vote, we expect him to come in for his interview, for his deposition. And frankly, we’ll also, I think, look at contempt proceedings as we move forward.
While addressing House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) on Capitol Hill Wednesday morning, Biden declared “Here I am, Mr. Chairman, taking up your offer when you said we can bring these people in for depositions or committee hearings, whichever they choose.”
“I am here to testify at a public hearing today to answer any of the committee’s legitimate questions. Republicans do not want an open process where Americans can see their tactics, expose their baseless inquiry, or hear what I have to say. What are they afraid of? I’m here. I’m ready,” he added.
