The U.S. House of Representatives is taking a step toward holding President Joe Biden’s son in contempt of Congress, which could eventually lead to him serving time in jail.
The House Oversight Committee and House Judiciary Committee will work on a resolution to hold Hunter Biden in contempt, the chairmen of the panels said on Jan. 5.
Mr. Biden, 53, “blatantly defied two lawful subpoenas, choosing to read a prepared statement outside of the Capitol instead of appearing for testimony as required,” Reps. James Comer (R-Ky.) and Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said in a joint statement.
“Hunter Biden’s willful refusal to comply with our subpoenas constitutes contempt of Congress and warrants referral to the appropriate United States Attorney’s Office for prosecution. We will not provide him with special treatment because of his last name,” they added.
A lawyer for Mr. Biden and the White House did not return requests for comment.
The markup of the resolution is slated to take place in Washington on Jan. 10. It will be available to watch online and in person.
Congress has the power to find people who defy subpoenas in contempt and has done so multiple times in recent years.
Once Congress finds a person in contempt, prosecutors can pursue a criminal charge. If a person is charged and convicted, they face a fine of up to $100,000 and a jail sentence of one to 12 months for each count.
For the six people whom Congress has found in contempt since 2019, U.S. prosecutors have pursued charges against two. Both Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro, former advisers to ex-President Donald Trump, were convicted and have been or are poised to be sentenced to prison time.
Mr. Biden was ordered to appear for closed-door testimony on Dec. 13 but declined to adhere to the conditions of the subpoena. He told a press briefing arranged by Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) and attended by his attorney, Abbe Lowell, that he would only answer questions in a public setting. Democrats have said they supported the move, while Republicans had promised to start contempt proceedings.
Questions on Business Dealings
The House is probing Mr. Biden and his father as part of an impeachment inquiry, with a focus on the involvement of President Biden with his son’s vast business dealings while he was vice president from 2009 to 2017.Mr. Biden dealt with firms and individuals from China, Russia, and other countries while his father was part of the Obama administration.
According to testimony and records unearthed by the Republican probe, President Biden spoke to Mr. Biden’s business associates both over the phone and during events in Washington. White House visitor logs also show some visited the White House during the years in question.
The House has acquired “significant evidence suggesting President Biden knew of, participated in, and benefitted from his family cashing in on the Biden name,” Mr. Comer and Mr. Jordan said this week.
Arraignment
Mr. Biden in 2023 was charged with intentionally failing to pay taxes and illegally owning a gun despite being a drug addict.Mr. Biden was prepared to plead guilty to tax charges in exchange for a diversion of the gun charge, but the deal was scuttled under questioning by a federal judge, and he has since pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Mr. Biden is scheduled to be arraigned on the tax charges in Los Angeles on Jan. 11, the day after the markup.
According to court documents, Mr. Biden received millions of dollars from 2009 to 2017 from firms in countries like Ukraine and China. He “engaged in a four-year scheme to not pay at least $1.4 million in self-assessed federal taxes he owed for tax years 2016 through 2019, from in or about January 2017 through in or about October 15, 2020, and to evade the assessment of taxes for tax year 2018 when he filed false returns in or about February 2020,” an indictment stated.
Federal officials interfered with the investigation, according to testimony and documents obtained by the House from IRS whistleblowers and other sources. One email showed Lesley Wolf, a top Department of Justice official, instructing agents to remove mention of President Biden from an affidavit seeking a search warrant.
