Republican Congress Members Demand White House Hand Over Communication with Hunter Biden

The House Oversight and Judiciary Committees, led by Republicans, have demanded that the White House turn over its communications with Hunter Biden’s legal team in an attempt to determine whether President Joe Biden was involved in his son’s refusal to comply with a congressional subpoena, as Republicans continue their investigations into the impeachment of the president.

Key Facts

In a letter to White House counsel Edward Cisoch, Oversight Committee Chair James Comer and Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan stated that the committees “are investigating whether there are sufficient grounds” to draft formal impeachment procedures against Biden, including whether the president “was involved in a conspiracy to obstruct congressional proceedings” by assisting his son in ignoring two congressional subpoenas.

Hunter Biden declined to appear for questioning earlier this month based on the subpoenas requested by the committees.

In their letter, the Republican congressional members cited a press conference held by Hunter Biden on December 13, the day he was scheduled to testify in a closed meeting, where he dismissed the investigations as “illegitimate,” and also referenced White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre’s response during a press conference on December 13 when she told a reporter, “The president was certainly aware of what his son was going to say” at that press conference.

Comer and Jordan argued in the letter that Jean-Pierre’s response at that press conference “suggests” that the president “had some knowledge” that his son would ignore two congressional subpoenas.

The committees are also seeking “documents and communications sent or received” from the Biden administration regarding the president’s statement earlier this month about his family’s business partners, when Joe Biden denied allegations that he interacted with his son’s foreign business partners.

Interview

In a press conference on December 13 – the date of Hunter Biden’s subpoena to appear for a closed-door questioning session – the president’s son stated that he would only testify before the Oversight Committee if the session was held publicly, arguing that the investigation should be an “open process” to expose their “fake investigation.” Biden Jr. told reporters that his father is not “financially involved in” his work and criticized “the courting Republicans” for “maligning my character, invading my privacy, and attacking my wife and children and my family and friends.”

Main Background

Hunter Biden became a major target among Republicans after a bombshell report by the New York Post in 2020 revealed that a laptop belonging to Biden, which was turned into a computer repair shop in Delaware, contained emails indicating that his father had contact with Hunter Biden’s Ukrainian business partners while Joe Biden was vice president. Since Republicans took control of the House in January, Republican congressional members have launched multiple investigations into Hunter Biden’s financial affairs, although these investigations have so far not yielded conclusive evidence linking the president to his son’s business partners, while the White House has denied those claims. Hunter Biden’s former business partner Devon Archer has also been interviewed in this process, denying accusations that Joe Biden spoke with Hunter Biden’s business partners. Hunter Biden was also charged with separate tax evasion charges in California earlier this month and pleaded not guilty to a gun possession misdemeanor in Delaware in October.