House Republicans are focusing on interviews with Biden family business associates as testimony from the president’s son remains difficult to obtain.
The lengthy process to punish Hunter Biden for failing to comply with a congressional subpoena, which begins Wednesday, means Republicans are likely far from being able to question the witness at the center of their impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden . The allegations at the heart of their investigation stem from unproven claims that the president was involved in or financially benefited from his son’s foreign business dealings, making the president’s son a crucial witness for their investigation.
Meanwhile, Republicans have begun interviewing other associates affiliated with the Biden family, but have already withheld a key transcript of the interview until further notice.
Republicans on the House Oversight and Judiciary committees will vote Wednesday to hold Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress for failing to comply with a congressional subpoena for a closed-door deposition last month. At the time, Hunter Biden instead held a news conference outside the Capitol and said he would only testify in public.
In the contempt resolution that lays out the Republican argument, House Oversight Chairman James Comer wrote: “With the possible exception of President Biden, Mr. Biden is the most important witness with information about President Biden’s involvement in his son’s business dealings. »
If the contempt resolution is passed out of committee, it is sent back to the full House for a contempt vote. If that vote succeeds, the Justice Department, which is already pursuing two criminal cases against the president’s son, will have to determine whether to prosecute the president’s son for evading a congressional subpoena.
Hunter Biden’s first appearance in his criminal tax case in which he faces nine criminal charges is scheduled for Thursday in Los Angeles federal court.
As the process to secure Hunter Biden’s testimony unfolds, House Republicans have begun narrowing down the long list of Biden family business associates they want to interview and are in the process of plan more in the coming weeks. As the investigation into the president proceeds methodically and a number of Republicans remain skeptical about impeaching the president, senior Republican officials believe now that targeting Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas will make the impeachment process easier as the border crisis becomes a defining campaign issue.
The House Oversight Committee is expected to question New York art dealer Georges Bergès on Tuesday to discuss Hunter Biden’s artwork, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN.
Republicans have long questioned whether the buyers of Hunter Biden’s artwork had overseas business interests and were trying to buy the works to get closer to his father. Hunter Biden’s artistic debut has sparked ethical concerns at the White House, with some critics raising eyebrows over the very expensive pieces and whether they posed a conflict of interest. CNN Previously reported that the White House was involved in striking a deal between the Bergès gallery and the president’s son in an effort to address any ethics concerns.
CNN has reached out to Bergès’ legal team for comment. At every stage of the Republican-led investigation, the White House and Hunter Biden have denied any wrongdoing.
Last month, the committee also questioned an Americore administrator who sued James Biden, the president’s brother, for failing to repay a $600,000 loan, a source familiar with the interview told CNN. Republicans have sought to link James Biden’s work with Americore to a $200,000 personal loan repayment check he wrote to Joe Biden in 2018.
But Republicans have not yet released the transcript of that interview.
“The House Oversight Committee is committed to providing transparency to the American people in all of our investigations and oversight. The committee will release the transcript of Carol Fox’s transcribed interview once all interviews detailing how James and Joe Biden received money from Americore are complete,” an oversight committee spokesperson told CNN republican.
A spokesperson for the House Oversight Democrats criticized the move, telling CNN: “Speaker Comer claims he is committed to transparency but continues to refuse to provide transcripts to the American public.” »
Comer told CNN’s Jake Tapper last month that he planned to release transcripts of any interviews his committee conducted.
“We will release the transcripts,” Comer said on CNN.
House Republicans are in communication with James Biden’s lawyers to schedule an arrival time for the president’s brother, a source familiar with the negotiations told CNN.
The House Oversight Committee is also in communication with Rob Walker, Hunter Biden’s business associate, to schedule an interview. Walker worked closely with the president’s son on a number of foreign trade deals.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
