House Republicans have officially authorized their impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. Now what?
GOP investigators leading the impeachment probe told us they’re intently focused on hearing from Biden’s family members and their business associates from now until the end of January. That’s setting up a timeline for the final decision on impeachment early in 2024.
Here’s what to watch for: Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) and Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), chairs of the Oversight and Judiciary committees, have initiated contempt of Congress proceedings against Hunter Biden after he defied a GOP subpoena for a closed-door deposition Wednesday.
Comer told us on Wednesday that even as contempt proceedings move forward, he believes it’s “imperative” that the Oversight Committee hears from the president’s son.
“We have specific questions about the source and purpose for the $24 million-plus that we’ve identified,” Comer said, referencing money transferred to accounts linked to Hunter Biden and his associates.
But don’t expect a contempt vote targeting the president’s son until early 2024. Both the Oversight and Judiciary committees — which sent the subpoena to Hunter Biden — need time to compile a contempt report and hold markups. Considering the House is slated to leave town today for the year, this won’t happen anytime soon.
Securing James Biden’s testimony is another top target for the House GOP. James Biden is the president’s brother and is also closely connected with Hunter Biden’s business dealings.
Comer said he’s more confident that the panel will hear from James Biden than Hunter Biden. The Oversight chair said committee aides have been in contact with James Biden’s lawyers in order to set up a deposition.
“We’ll have something soon on that,” Comer said. James Biden’s scheduled deposition date was Dec. 6.
Lesley Wolf, the assistant U.S. attorney for Delaware involved in the Hunter Biden case, will appear later today for a deposition before the House Judiciary Committee. Republicans are eager to ask Wolf whether political considerations affected the Hunter Biden probe. It’s a claim that Special Counsel David Weiss fiercely denied that allegation when he testified earlier this fall.
Other figures who Republicans are seeking to depose include Hunter Biden associates Eric Schwerin and Kevin Morris.
In all, Comer, Jordan and House Ways and Means Committee Chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.) received a massive boost on Wednesday when every single House Republican voted to open the inquiry.
“Today’s unanimous vote of our conference shows that we are united,” Comer said. “We expect to have people honor our subpoenas.”
— Max Cohen
