Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) told reporters that Hunter Biden “does not get to dictate the terms of this subpoena” after the president’s son held a press conference in Washington, D.C.
Comer, who serves as chairman on the House Oversight Committee, appeared alongside Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) on Wednesday morning.
“We issued a lawful subpoena to the president’s son,” Comer said. “This has been a 10-month investigation; a credible, transparent investigation that has produced a lot of troubling evidence. We have lots of questions.”
He referred to boxes containing tens of thousands of pages of documents in the committee room.
“This is an investigation about public corruption at the highest levels of our government,” Comer continued. “The American people expect Congress to investigate this because, I think, one thing Chairman Jordan has proven, is the FBI, the DOJ, and the IRS – as we’ve heard from the whistleblowers – have all dropped the ball.”
He added: “So, the House Oversight [and] House Judiciary Committee are conducting this federal investigation that an overwhelming majority of Americans want. We have specific questions for the president’s son. He does not get to dictate the terms of this subpoena.” BREAKING IN WASHINGTON: @RepJamesComer says Hunter Biden "does not get to dictate the terms of this subpoena." WATCH pic.twitter.com/7zHHd8KW4G
— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) December 13, 2023
Earlier Wednesday morning, Hunter Biden held a press conference on Capitol Hill to deny that his father had any involvement with his business dealings.
The appearance indicates the president’s son refused to comply with the closed-door deposition for which he was subpoenaed, offering instead to testify publicly.
“[There is] no evidence to support that my father was financially involved in my business because it did not happen,” Hunter Biden said, reading from a written statement.
He went on to criticize “MAGA Republicans," claiming they “invaded” his privacy, “attacked” his family and friends, and “ridiculed my struggle with addiction.”
“They belittled my recovery, and they have tried to dehumanize me, all to embarrass my father, who has devoted his entire public life to service," he said. "For six years, I have been a target of the unrelenting Trump attack machine, shouting ‘Where’s Hunter?’ Well, here’s my answer. I am here.” Hunter Biden speaks on Capitol Hill: “Let me state as clearly as I can: My father was not financially involved in my business” pic.twitter.com/JFi3i1y0o8
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) December 13, 2023
“They have taken the light of my dad’s love; the light of my dad’s love for me and presented it as darkness,” he added. “They have no shame.”
Hunter Biden concluded his speech by accusing Republicans of not wanting to participate in an “open process where Americans can see their tactics.”
He asked, “What are they afraid of?”
SCNR previously reported that Hunter Biden was subpoenaed by the House Oversight Committee on Nov. 8 as part of an inquiry into the Biden family’s business dealing and a potential presidential impeachment.
With support from the Judiciary and Ways and Means Committees, the Oversight Committee is seeking information about how the Bidens conducted business both domestically and internationally to determine if they used their political and governmental influence for financial gain. The Committee wants to determine if and how the Biden family may have compromised national security.
The Committee has already heard evidence from other whistleblowers who have provided details about the Bidens’ influence peddling. Two whistleblowers from the Internal Revenue Service investigated Hunter Biden for tax evasion and testified about the Department of Justice’s efforts to protect him and his father. The investigators also confirmed that the Biden family set up 20 shell companies – primarily during President Joe Biden’s tenure as Vice President – and that members of the family and their associates received over $10 million from foreign nationals.
“We are glad that Hunter Biden has decided to cooperate and we look forward to hearing from him in a deposition on December 13 and subsequently at a public hearing,” Jim Jordan wrote in a Nov. 28 post on X.
Hunter Biden’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, accused the committee of working for nearly a year "without success" to tie his client's business dealings to President Joe Biden.
“We have seen you use closed-door sessions to manipulate, even distort the facts and misinform the public," Lowell wrote in a Nov. 28 letter. "We therefore propose opening the door. If, as you claim, your efforts are important and involve issues that Americans should know about, then let the light shine on these proceedings.”
According to Lowell, the Oversight Committee has subpoenaed other members of the Biden family including James Biden and his wife, Beau Biden’s widow Hallie, and Hunter Biden’s current wife Melissa Cohen. They’ve also subpoenaed the art gallerist who “endeavors to help Hunter earn a living.”
Hannah Claire Brimelow contributed to this report
