The chairmen of the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees requested that the White House turn over any information on President Joe Biden’s involvement in Hunter Biden’s decision to defy a congressional subpoena, in an expansion of the House’s impeachment inquiry, CBS News reported.
In a December 27 letter to White House Counsel Edward Siskel, chairmen James Comer and Jim Jordan asked for documents and communications between White House staff and Hunter Biden or his lawyers regarding Hunter’s scheduled December 13 closed-door interview before the House.
The younger Biden defied the subpoena and instead of appearing at the closed-door hearing on December 13, staged a press conference outside of the Capitol to reiterate why he refused to comply.
During the White House press briefing later that day, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that President Biden was “familiar with” what Hunter planned to say at his press conference.
Given Jean-Pierre’s remarks, Comer and Jordan wrote that they were “compelled to examine” President Biden’s possible involvement in Hunter’s “scheme to defy the Committees’ subpoenas.”
The Republican chairmen argued that Jean-Pierre’s comments implied that the president “had some amount of advanced knowledge” that his son planned to defy the subpoena.
They argued that the president’s “advanced awareness” that Hunter didn’t plan to attend the closed-door hearing “raises a troubling new question,” namely, if the president “corruptly sought to influence or obstruct” the proceeding “by preventing, discouraging, or dissuading” Hunter from complying with the subpoena.
Comer and Jordan note that if that was the case, it would “constitute an impeachable offense.”
The chairmen also asked for any documents related to a December 6 comment President Biden made when he denied ever interacting with Hunter’s or his brother James’ foreign business associates.
The letter gave the White House until January 10 to provide the documents and communications requested.
The chairmen have said that they would pursue contempt of Congress proceedings against Hunter for defying the subpoena.
