House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer is sending a strong message to Hunter Biden: attend the scheduled deposition for the impeachment inquiry on Dec. 13 or prepare for a legal confrontation in court.
“Hunter Biden has received special treatment his entire life,” Comer told the Just the News, No Noise television show Friday night. “Every government agency that should have caught the crimes the Bidens have been committed for years were told to stand down. And they think they can bully the Oversight Committee and set the rules. And that’s not going to happen.
“We’re going to treat this investigation like every congressional investigation in recent memory has been treated: you come in for a deposition, then you do the public hearing. All of our depositions are transparent. We released the transcripts,” Comer added. “….He is the key witness to all of the Biden crimes. So the subpoena called for him to show up in this office on Dec. 13 for a deposition. I expect to see Hunter Biden in this office for a deposition.”
When asked if he was prepared to take legal action should Hunter Biden not attend, Comer affirmed, stating, “Absolutely.” He disclosed ongoing discussions with House leadership, confirming the GOP conference’s commitment to formally supporting the impeachment inquiry.
This strategic move is intended to strengthen his committee’s stance, ensuring legal measures are pursued to enforce compliance with issued subpoenas for Hunter Biden and other pertinent individuals.
“I suspect that the House of Representatives will formally vote to formalize the impeachment inquiry. This is the exact same process that (former Speaker Nancy) Pelosi took during her impeachment,” he explained. “And they’re not going to be able to have a leg to stand on in court if they try to defy our subpoenas.”
Hunter Biden’s team has suggested that he might bypass a private interview, opting for direct public testimony like other witnesses. Nevertheless, Comer rejected this proposition in a letter sent on Friday to Abbe Lowell, the chief attorney representing the president’s son.
“Mr. Biden’s attempt to avoid sitting for a deposition pursuant to the terms of the subpoenas – by offering instead to testify at a public hearing – amounts to a demand that he receive special treatment from the Committees,” Comer wrote Lowell in a letter that was co-signed by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan..
“Mr. Biden will not succeed in attempting to dictate to the Committees how they conduct their investigation. The subpoenas Mr. Biden has received compel him to appear before the Committees for a deposition; they are not mere suggestions open to Mr. Biden’s interpretation or preference.”
The letter underscored the standard protocol of transcribed interviews and depositions as the initial step in congressional inquiries, underscoring the cooperation of other witnesses, notably former Hunter Biden associate Devon Archer, in the impeachment investigation of President Joe Biden.
In the co-authored letter by Comer and Jordan, a robust response was issued in relation to recent attacks and accusations from Hunter Biden’s legal team aimed at congressional investigators and key witnesses, including IRS whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler. The chairmen asserted a “coordinated effort” orchestrated by Lowell to undermine allegations against Mr. Biden, manipulate facts, and attack the credibility of witnesses.
“Your attempts to now bully and intimidate the Committees will not stand,” the letter firmly stated.
Comer made it clear,
“We have tens of thousands of pages of bank statements, we have thousands of pages of emails, we have hundreds of specific questions about specific transactions and specific meetings that the Bidens had with our enemies around the world where they received millions of dollars.”
Comer challenged Lowell’s portrayal of the ongoing GOP investigation, rejecting it as a “fishing expedition,” and addressed the proposal for Hunter Biden’s public testimony instead of a closed-door session.
In response to the potential refusal of Hunter Biden for the deposition, Comer asserted the committee’s preparedness to contest such a decision. He emphasized the significant cooperation obtained from banks handling the Bidens’ overseas business dealings.
A recent report raised concerns about money laundering and influence peddling in connection with a $5 million loan obtained by the family in 2017 from a Chinese firm.
“The banks did what they were supposed to do,” Comer said. “And that’s why the banks have cooperated with it. Yeah, we’ve been obstructed at every turn. We’ve been obstructed by the government agencies. We’ve been obstructed by the Biden legal team.
“One group that hasn’t obstructed us is the banks,” he added. “Because the banks want us to have it. The banks are frustrated that this family’s been treated differently.”
