Hunter Biden delivered a press conference on Capitol Hill Wednesday morning and dodged a congressional deposition in defiance of a subpoena from the House Oversight Committee.
The younger Biden arrived for the press conference Wednesday morning and briefly spoke to reporters before leaving the site inside a limousine. At his press conference, Hunter Biden criticized his political opponents and said his father, President Biden, was not involved with his foreign business dealings.
Hunter: “Let me state as clearly as I can: My father was not financially involved in my business, not as a practicing lawyer, not as a board member of Burisma. Not in my partnership with a Chinese private businessman. Not my investments at home nor abroad and certainly not as an… pic.twitter.com/NWgBrfm7ux
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) December 13, 2023
“Let me state as clearly as I can: My father was not financially involved in my business, not as a practicing lawyer, not as a board member of Burisma. Not in my partnership with a Chinese private businessman. Not my investments at home nor abroad and certainly not as an artist,” Biden stated.
“During my battle with addiction, my parents were there for me. They literally saved my life,” Biden added. He admitted to being “irresponsible” with his finances during his period of addiction.
The Oversight Committee subpoenaed Hunter Biden in November to have him appear Wednesday before the committee in a closed-door session and answer questions related to his foreign business dealings. (RELATED: Hunter Biden’s Drug Addiction Defense Shattered By New California Indictment)
Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan threatened to initiate contempt of congress proceedings against Hunter Biden if he did not show up to his depositions. Congress can provide prosecutors a citation for contempt to federal prosecutors, who have discretion over whether they pursue criminal charges, according to the Congressional Research Service.
Hunter Biden’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, offered in late November to have his client testify publicly and skip the closed-door session. House Republicans rejected Lowell’s proposal and said Hunter Biden must abide by the subpoena and speak behind closed doors before testifying publicly. Biden renewed his offer to testify publicly at his Wednesday morning press conference. (RELATED: Burisma Slashed Hunter Biden’s Salary When Donald Trump Took Office, New Indictment Shows)
Hunter Biden refuses to comply with @JamesComer‘s subpoena to be deposed behind closed doors and demands a public hearing so he can tell sob stories on TV.
Reminder that Don Jr. testified behind closed doors for over 40 hours about the Russia hoax.
Hold him in contempt! pic.twitter.com/1FoJB06zyX
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) December 13, 2023
“I am here to testify at a public hearing today to answer any of the committee’s legitimate questions,” Biden said. “What are they afraid of? I’m here, I’m ready,” Biden concluded.
Comer, Jordan and Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith are leading the House GOP’s impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden based on his son’s business dealings and IRS whistleblower accusations of special treatment given to Hunter Biden during the ongoing criminal probe into his taxes and foreign business dealings.
Witness testimony from special counsel Weiss and numerous officials from the Department of Justice (DOJ), FBI and IRS confirmed central allegations brought forth by the IRS whistleblowers, House Republicans examined in a lengthy report released on Dec.5.
House Republicans are expected to vote on officially authorizing the impeachment inquiry Wednesday to strengthen its legal authority. Lawmakers are also seeking depositions from multiple former business associates of Hunter Biden’s including Rob Walker, a centerpiece of Hunter Biden’s business dealings with Chinese associates, and his uncle James Biden. Walker told the FBI Joe Biden met with his son’s Chinese business associates after his vice presidency. (RELATED: First House Impeachment Inquiry Hearing Lays Out Potential Next Steps Of Biden Investigation)
Devon Archer, Hunter Biden’s former business associate, testified to the House Oversight Committee in July and said Joe Biden spoke with his son’s business associates around 20 times. He recalled a spring 2014 dinner Joe Biden attended alongside Russian oligarch Elena Baturina and a spring 2015 dinner featuring Vadim Pozharskyi, an executive with Ukrainian energy firm Burisma Holdings.
A federal grand jury in California indicted Hunter Biden Thursday on nine tax related charges tied to his apparent failure to pay over $1 million in taxes during the 2016-19 tax years. Lowell attributed the indictment to supposed Republican pressure on Weiss in a statement addressing the charges.
READ THE INDICTMENT:
Hunter Biden made more than $7 million from 2016-20 including $2.3 million in 2017 and $2.1 million in 2018, according to the indictment. The Biden family and its business associates received more than $24 million from foreign sources during a five year period ending in 2019, a House memo circulated in September shows.
Burisma paid Hunter Biden as much as $83,333 per month as a member of its board, according to bank records released by the Oversight Committee. The Ukrainian firm significantly reduced his salary after Joe Biden’s vice presidency concluded, the California indictment says.
Biden-appointed U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California E. Martin Estrada previously declined to cooperate with Weiss on the Hunter Biden case, both prosecutors confirmed when they testified before the House Judiciary Committee, according to transcripts reviewed by the Caller.
Hunter Biden is also facing three federal gun charges in Delaware and plead not guilty to the alleged gun offenses in early October.
His attorneys filed motions Monday to have the gun charges dismissed.
Henry Rodgers contributed to this report