Hunter Biden Defies House GOP Subpoena to Testify in Private

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Facts

  • Speaking to reporters in front of the Capitol building Wednesday morning, US Pres. Joe Biden's son Hunter said he will defy Republican efforts to subpoena him for a closed-door deposition. Hunter Biden described the House Oversight and Judiciary Committee’s investigation as 'illegitimate,' and based upon 'distortions, manipulated evidence and lies.'1
  • Hunter Biden, who has faced probes into his overseas business dealings and alleged tax evasion, also said his 'father was not financially involved in my business,' an allegation Republicans are seeking to use to bring about impeachment proceedings against the president. While Hunter Biden has said he's willing to testify in an open hearing, Republicans say he can't dictate the terms, also threatening to hold him in contempt.2
  • Hunter further argued that 'MAGA' Republicans have 'invaded' his privacy, 'attacked' his family, and 'ridiculed [his] struggle with addiction.' Regarding specific allegations of corruption involving Joe Biden, he claimed his father was not involved in his dealings with business with Ukrainian or Chinese companies.3
  • In response to Hunter Biden's press conference, during which he also questioned what the House GOP was 'afraid of' by pursuing a closed-door deposition, Oversight Committee chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) said the president's son 'just got into more trouble today.' Comer and Judiciary Committee chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) both stated that they would begin looking into contempt of Congress proceedings.4
  • House GOP members have alleged that during Pres. Biden's vice presidency, he advocated for a top Ukrainian prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, to be fired to stop an investigation into Ukrainian gas company Burisma — a company Hunter was on the board of. They have also alleged that the Biden administration has since meddled in a US Dept. of Justice probe into Hunter.5

Sources: 1NBC, 2Wall Street Journal, 3FOX News, 4PBS NewsHour and 5Washington Post.

Narratives

  • Republican narrative, as provided by Townhall. Hunter's little stunt on Capitol Hill has only dug himself deeper into a hole. Besides opening himself up to contempt charges, the president's son also exposed his continual shifting of the goalposts concerning how involved his father was in his business dealings. Stating that his dad was not 'financially' involved is much different than his previous claims; having previously asserted 'no involvement' at all. Now, however, the world knows there were dinners and phone calls involving Joe Biden. It's time to charge Hunter Biden with contempt and pursue impeachment for Joe Biden.
  • Democratic narrative, as provided by Huffington post. The so-called bombshell evidence Republicans have tying Hunter and his father to corruption allegations is merely a money transfer reimbursement for truck payments. With that incredibly weak evidence in hand, it's no wonder why these far-right activist politicians want to hide their likely insignificant deposition from the public. This is a concerning GOP kangaroo court with so-called 'evidence' being cherry-picked and absurdly taken out of context.

Predictions