Home Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan mentioned Hunter Biden made a “huge change” by saying his father, President Biden, was “not financially involved” in his enterprise dealings.
Jordan’s feedback got here shortly after Hunter Biden defied his subpoena by not showing for a deposition at 9:30 a.m. earlier than the Home Oversight Committee, and as an alternative, delivering a public assertion defending himself and his household amid the Home impeachment inquiry towards his father.
“My father was not financially involved in my business,” Hunter Biden mentioned Wednesday morning from Capitol Hill, including the president was not concerned in his dealings with Ukrainian pure fuel agency Burisma Holdings, or his Chinese language investments and others within the U.S.
Rep. Jim Jordan holds a press convention on the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 20, 2023 in Washington, D.C. (Photograph by Drew Angerer/Getty Photographs)
“No evidence to support that my father was financially involved in my business because it did not happen,” Hunter Biden mentioned.
The White Home and President Biden have maintained that the president was “never in business” together with his son. Biden has additionally mentioned he by no means spoke to his son about his enterprise dealings, however Republicans say proof — together with e-mail information and testimony from Hunter Biden’s former enterprise companions — appear to contradict these statements.
Jordan, shortly after Hunter’s public look, identified Biden’s altering narrative.
“I would just point out that I’ve had a chance to review what Hunter Biden said in his press conference. I think he made an interesting statement,” Jordan mentioned. “He said his father was not financially involved in the business. And I think that qualifier, the word ‘financially’ is important because once again, it shows another change in this story.”
Jordan continued, “First, it was no involvement. Then no one ever, never talked to anyone, and then we find out about the dinners, the meetings, the phone calls, everything else.”
“Now, it’s okay, he wasn’t involved in the business financially,” Jordan continued. “I think that is important. It’s one of the reasons we want to talk to Hunter Biden.”
Jordan mentioned the “biggest takeaway” from Hunter’s look was that assertion about President Biden not being financially concerned — which to Jordan signifies Biden could have been concerned in Hunter’s enterprise dealings in different methods.
“That is a huge change, which means — sort of means he’s involved,” Jordan mentioned. “I think that’s how anyone with common sense would read it.”
Jordan described the change as indicating President Biden has “been involved, just not financially.”
Jordan mentioned that “is a huge departure from everything they’ve said now for the last three and a half years.”
President Biden, relationship again to August 2019 on the 2020 marketing campaign path, mentioned he “never discussed with my son or my brother or anyone else anything having to do with their business, period.”
A month later, Biden mentioned he had “never spoken to my son about his overseas business dealings.”
The following month, Biden mentioned, “I don’t discuss business with my son.”
This summer time, nevertheless, the White Home made a change, and started saying Biden was not “in business” together with his son throughout his vice presidency.
“As we have said many times before, the president was not in business with his son,” White Home counsel’s workplace spokesperson Ian Sams mentioned in a June 29 assertion.
“The answer remains the same,” White Home press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre mentioned throughout a July 24 briefing. “The president was never in business with his son. I just don’t have anything else to add.”
President Biden, proper, and son Hunter Biden. (AP Photograph/Andrew Harnik)
Home Republican Convention Chair Elise Stefanik, Jordan, Oversight Committee Chair James Comer and Methods and Means Committee Chair Jason Smith wrote a letter to White Home Counsel Stuart Delery in July to hunt readability on the shifting message, however their July 27 deadline was ignored.
Hunter Biden’s lawyer Abbe Lowell in September mentioned he can “categorically” declare that the elder Biden was not concerned in his son’s earlier enterprise dealings and didn’t revenue from any of them.
“I can tell you that Hunter did not share his business with his dad,” Lowell instructed CNN in September. “I can tell you that he did not share money from his businesses with his dad. And as the evidence out there, his dad, like all good parents, tried to help Hunter when Hunter needed that help.”
In the meantime, Comer and Jordan final week threatened to carry Biden in contempt of Congress if he defied the subpoena and failed to seem for his deposition.
Chairman James Comer, R-Ky. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Name, Inc by way of Getty Photographs)
Comer and Jordan had vowed to launch the total transcript of Hunter’s deposition if he did take part. In addition they vowed to then schedule a public listening to for the president’s son to testify in a setting for the American folks to listen to from him immediately.
HUNTER BIDEN MAY BE HELD IN CONTEMPT OF CONGRESS IF HE DOESN’T SHOW UP FOR INTERVIEW
In the meantime, Comer and Jordan spoke to reporters, defending their “lawful subpoena of the president’s son.”
“This is a normal process in an investigation,” Comer mentioned. “This has been a serious investigation since day one — an investigation about public corruption at the highest level.”
Comer mentioned he nonetheless expects to depose the president’s son.
“And then we will be more than happy to have a public hearing,” Comer mentioned.
Jordan mentioned if a public listening to came about first, as advised by the primary son, members would filibuster and delay strains of questioning.
“The way you get the facts is you bring people in for an interview behind closed doors,” Jordan mentioned.
Lowell and the White Home have argued that the subpoena was not legitimate as a result of the Home impeachment inquiry was by no means formalized by the total Home of Representatives.
Nevertheless, a vote to take action is predicted later Wednesday.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“We think it is going to pass,” Jordan mentioned. “We’ll see what their excuse is then.”
Nevertheless, Jordan did say that when that vote takes place, he and Comer will, as promised, “move forward with contempt proceedings” towards the primary son.
Comer mentioned that the committee has tens of hundreds of paperwork ready within the room the place Hunter Biden was anticipated to testify.
Comer mentioned the committee has “specific questions for the president’s son,” and mentioned the American folks need this investigation.
