House Republicans have subpoenaed Hunter and James Biden, the son and brother of the president — a dramatic escalation of their impeachment inquiry.
Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) on Wednesday issued the legal demand that the two Bidens appear for closed-door interviews with his panel. Comer also subpoenaed Rob Walker, a Hunter Biden business associate, and requested voluntary interviews with five other people, such as Sara Biden, who is James Biden’s wife, and Hallie Biden, the widow of the president’s late son Beau Biden.
It’s the first time House Republicans have directly tried to compel testimony from members of the Biden family as part of their months-long investigation, which former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) escalated to an impeachment inquiry in September. While Comer has previously held closed-door interviews with Hunter Biden business associates, much of his investigation so far has focused on gathering and analyzing bank records.
And Comer’s suggested he’s willing to play hardball, indicating that he is willing to try to hold anyone who doesn’t comply with his summons in contempt.
“The House Oversight Committee has followed the money and built a record of evidence,” Comer said in a statement. “Now, the House Oversight Committee is going to bring in members of the Biden family and their associates to question them on this record of evidence.”
Comer, Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Ways and Means Committee Chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.) are spearheading the impeachment inquiry that is guaranteed to drag into next year, with political risks for both sides as it runs closer to the 2024 election.
While Republicans have uncovered examples of Hunter Biden trying to use his last name to further his business deals — and poked holes in some of Biden and the White House’s previous statements — they’ve struggled to find a smoking gun that would link Joe Biden’s official decisions to his family’s business deals.
