House Republicans of the Judiciary and Oversight Committees are readying new subpoenas directed at Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, following a declaration of future cooperation. The notice came from none other than Hunter Biden's lawyer, confirming his client's readiness to comply with a suitable congressional subpoena.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer and Jim Jordan, the Chair's House Judiciary Committee, confirmed their intent to issue fresh subpoenas to Hunter Biden. The correspondence sent on Sunday to Biden's lawyer, Abbe Lowell, affirmed the new direction.
Are Hunter Biden's Actions Defying Subpoenas?
Comer and Jordan stand steadfast in their conviction that prior subpoenas, which summoned Biden for a private deposition, are utterly enforceable by law. The evasion of these subpoenas by Hunter Biden elicited sharp censure from the committee chairs. Biden's legal representation asserted their client's intent to testify, but only in an open-court scenario. Instead of complying with the previous personal deposition orders last month, Biden publically addressed the Capitol without an interactive Q&A session.
Consequential to his non-compliant demeanor, Hunter Biden may face an official hold in contempt of Congress recommendation from the GOP-led committees. Moreover, the entire House needed to proceed with this path due to their impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. The President's son took the attendees of the Oversight Committee's markup by surprise with an impromptu visit just before the unanimous passing of the contempt resolutions across party lines.
What Does Future Compliance Mean for Hunter Biden?
After the House suggested Hunter Biden to be in contempt, Lowell, on behalf of Biden, stated that his client would accede to a congressional subpoena on one condition - it had to be a 'new proper' one. This meant that Biden was ready to comply with a hearing or deposition, given the issuance of an appropriate subpoena. This legal perspective argued that the previously issued subpoenas held no legal validity, as they were sanctioned before last month's House voting to authorize the impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden.
Comer and Jordan retaliated to Lowell's statements on Sunday, disproving his claims of the subpoenas being 'legally invalid' as 'inaccurate and unpersuasive.' They said backing their subpoenas is a legislative purpose that has been proficiently enunciated, negating any legal foundation for the President's son to avoid them.
Will Hunter Biden Be Under Fresh Scrutiny?
Hunter Biden's resistance to the subpoenas has been termed 'spiteful and obstinate' by the committee chairs. They have said that Biden, as every other witness standing before the committees, must participate in a deposition corresponding to the established House rules and the committees' regulations.
Is Biden's recent decision to appear for a deposition, if subpoenaed, a sign of optimism? The committees, conveying their acceptance, stressed that the subpoenas they issued hold legal enforceability. They are accommodating Biden's appeal and are preparing to issue subpoenas to dictate his appearance at a deposition on a pre-determined date.
Does This Augur Well for Hunter Biden's Legal Journey?
The battle between Hunter Biden and House Republicans has been prolonged over his compliance, stretching across their exhaustive impeachment inquiry towards the President. Comer and Jordan have attributed the President's son to foreign business dealings linked to his father without concrete evidence supporting the claims of the President profiting from his son's actions.
Soon, Hunter Biden's fate, concerning contempt of Congress for non-compliance with the congressional subpoenas, lies within this week's vote in the House. Majority Leader Steve Scalise confirmed that the House would soon vote on Biden's contempt of Congress, stressing that Biden cannot act above the law.
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