House Oversight, Judiciary to consider resolution recommending Hunter Biden be held in contempt of Congress

House Republicans will consider a resolution Wednesday morning that, if passed, would set up a full House vote on whether to hold Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress for defying a congressional subpoena as part of the House impeachment inquiry against President Biden.

The House Oversight Committee will meet for a markup Wednesday at 10 a.m. to consider the resolution that recommends contempt proceedings against the first son after he refused to comply with a subpoena compelling him to appear for a closed-door deposition before the House Oversight and Judiciary committees.

The House Judiciary Committee will hold a similar markup at 10 a.m. on a measure recommending Hunter Biden be held in contempt of Congress. 

"Our investigation has produced significant evidence suggesting President Biden knew of, participated in and benefited from his family cashing in on the Biden name," House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer is expected to say in his opening statement, obtained by Fox News Digital. 

HOUSE GOP SAYS HUNTER BIDEN ‘VIOLATED FEDERAL LAW' BY DEFYING SUBPOENA, PREPARE CONTEMPT RESOLUTION

"We planned to question Hunter Biden about this record of evidence during our deposition, but he blatantly defied two lawful subpoenas." 

Comer will say, "Hunter Biden’s willful refusal to comply with the committees’ subpoenas is a criminal act" that "constitutes contempt of Congress and warrants referral to the appropriate United States Attorney’s Office for prosecution as prescribed by law."

"We will not provide Hunter Biden with special treatment because of his last name," Comer is expected to say. "All Americans must be treated equally under the law. And that includes the Bidens." 

Hunter Biden, ahead of his subpoenaed deposition, had offered to testify publicly. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan rejected his request, stressing that the first son would not have special treatment and pointed to the dozens of other witnesses that have appeared, as compelled, for their interviews and depositions. Comer and Jordan vowed to release the transcript of Hunter Biden’s deposition.

The first son, though, defied the subpoena, ignored the offer and delivered a public statement outside the Capitol.

"On December 13, 2023, Robert Hunter Biden failed to comply with deposition subpoenas issued by the Committees on Oversight and Accountability and the Judiciary for testimony relevant to the House of Representatives’ impeachment inquiry and the Committees’ oversight investigations," the House Oversight report, first reported by Fox News Digital on Monday, says. 

"Instead, Mr. Biden opted to read a short, prepared statement in front of the Capitol. Accordingly, Mr. Biden has violated federal law and must be held in contempt of Congress."

Meanwhile, the House Oversight report identifies Hunter Biden’s testimony as "a critical component of the impeachment inquiry into, among other things, whether Joseph R. Biden, Jr., as Vice President and/or President: (1) took any official action or effected any change in government policy because of money or other things of value provided to himself or his family; (2) abused his office of public trust by providing foreign interests with access to him and his office in exchange for payments to his family or him; or (3) abused his office of public trust by knowingly participating in a scheme to enrich himself or his family by giving foreign interests the impression that they would receive access to him and his office in exchange for payments to his family or him."

The report states that Hunter Biden’s "flagrant defiance of the Committees’ deposition subpoenas — while choosing to appear nearby on the Capitol grounds to read a prepared statement on the same matters — is contemptuous, and he must be held accountable for his unlawful actions."

HOUSE GOP PROBING IF BIDEN WAS INVOLVED IN HUNTER'S 'SCHEME' TO DEFY SUBPOENA, POTENTIAL 'IMPEACHABLE OFFENSE'

The report says House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer "recommends that Congress find Robert Hunter Biden in contempt for his failure to comply with the Committee subpoena issued to him."

Committee ranking member Jamie Raskin, D-Md., blasted the move, saying there "is no precedent for the U.S. House of Representatives holding a private citizen in contempt of Congress who has offered to testify in public, under oath and on a day of the committee’s choosing. Chairman Comer repeatedly urged Hunter Biden to appear at a committee hearing, and Hunter Biden agreed." 

If the resolution advances out of committees Wednesday, sources said a full contempt of Congress vote on the House floor could take place in the coming days. 

Last month, Comer and Jordan expanded their investigation to probe whether President Biden was involved in his son's "scheme" to defy his subpoena for deposition earlier this month, conduct, they say, "could constitute an impeachable offense." 

Hunter Biden, when making his public statement last month, said his "father was not financially involved in my business." 

"No evidence to support that my father was financially involved in my business because it did not happen," he said. 

The House impeachment inquiry against President Biden was formalized by the full House last month. The inquiry is being led by Comer, Jordan and House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo.

Hunter Biden gallerist tells lawmakers he never spoke to White House about paintings: sources

Hunter Biden’s art dealer told lawmakers in the House of Representatives on Tuesday that he has never discussed the paintings with the White House, Fox News Digital has learned.

A source familiar with Georges Bergès’ transcribed interview before the House Oversight Committee said Bergès told lawmakers he’s had no communication with the White House, including about Hunter Biden’s paintings.

Bergès stated that he never told Hunter Biden who any of the buyers were, the source said. 

The gallerist is speaking to the Oversight Committee behind closed doors as part of House Republicans’ impeachment inquiry into President Biden. GOP lawmakers have accused Biden of using his status and name to enrich himself and his family.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS CONSIDER HOLDING HUNTER BIDEN IN CONTEMPT OF CONGRESS

Republican investigators have suggested they are suspicious over whether Hunter Biden’s art career, which began in recent years, has led to any conflicts of interest between wealthy buyers and the White House.

A second source familiar with the interview confirmed to Fox News Digital that Bergès said he did not discuss Hunter Biden’s paintings or anything else with the White House, but said it proved that a widely reported "ethics agreement" between Biden officials and Bergès’ gallery to prevent wrongdoing was a lie.

HOUSE GOP PROBING IF BIDEN WAS INVOLVED IN HUNTER'S 'SCHEME' TO DEFY SUBPOENA, POTENTIAL 'IMPEACHABLE OFFENSE'

"The White House’s ‘ethics’ agreement regarding Hunter Biden’s art was a sham. The White House never facilitated any agreement, despite saying the opposite to the public," the second source said.

"George Bergès stated he never had any communication with the White House about an agreement about Hunter Biden’s art and admitted Hunter Biden knew the identities of the individuals who purchased roughly 70% of the value of his art, including Democrat donors Kevin Morris and Elizabeth Hirsh Naftali."

A large share of that 70% is entertainment lawyer Kevin Morris, the first source said, who loaned Hunter Biden $4.9 million between 2020 and 2022.

JORDAN SAYS HUNTER BIDEN MADE A 'HUGE CHANGE' BY SAYING HIS FATHER WAS 'NOT FINANCIALLY INVOLVED' IN BUSINESS

The White House has openly referenced that agreement in the past, but details have been vague. 

Former Biden press secretary Jen Psaki lauded it in July 2021 for "a level of protection and transparency" but when asked about ethical concerns the following month, said, "we have spoken extensively to the arrangements, which are not White House arrangements; they’re arrangements between Hunter Biden’s representatives and ones that we, certainly, were made aware of."

The second source provided additional details on the hefty sums that Bergès said Hunter Biden’s art fetched from prominent Democratic donors.

That includes $875,000 in art purchased by Morris.

Elizabeth Hirsh Naftali, who the president appointed to the Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad in 2022, bought Hunter Biden’s art for $42,000 in 2021 and for $52,000 at the end of 2022.

House Republican to file impeachment articles against Lloyd Austin

FIRST ON FOX: A House Republican lawmaker is introducing articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, his office told Fox News Digital on Monday.

Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., plans to target Austin on Tuesday as fallout continues over the Pentagon’s delayed disclosure about Austin being hospitalized last week.

Rosendale told Fox News Digital in a statement that he believes Austin "violated his oath of office" on multiple occasions, citing the Biden administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, the migrant crisis at the border, and last year’s incident with a Chinese spy craft floating above the continental U.S.

DOD SECOND-IN-COMMAND TOLD OF AUSTIN'S HOSPITALIZATION 2 DAYS AFTER TAKING OVER SOME OF HIS DUTIES

"Sec. Austin knowingly put the American people in danger and compromised our national security when he allowed a spy balloon from a foreign adversary to fly over Malmstrom Air Force Base – home to ICBMs – and allowed the Chinese Communist Party to gather intel on American citizens," the Montana Republican said. 

"This dishonesty seems to be a repeated pattern for the Secretary as he once again lied to our military and the American people about his health last week."

DEFENSE SECRETARY AUSTIN HOSPITALIZED FOLLOWING SURGERY COMPLICATIONS

The Pentagon publicly revealed on Friday that Austin had been in the hospital since Jan. 1 due to complications from elective surgery. But a Politico report later revealed that not only were media kept in the dark, but that the highest levels of the White House and top officials in the Pentagon itself were not aware until Thursday that Austin was in the hospital.

The non-disclosure prompted a flurry of bipartisan concern, with top Democrats and Republicans on the House and Senate Armed Services committees both calling for more transparency about the incident.

PENTAGON ANNOUNCES NEW RED SEA INTERNATIONAL MISSION TO COUNTER ESCALATING HOUTHI ATTACKS ON SHIPS

Rosendale’s Monday evening statement went beyond the health scandal, arguing that Austin "failed to uphold his oath of office during the Biden Administration’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan which led to the death of 13 American soldiers and enabled unvetted migrants to flow into the United States."

"Sec. Austin is unfit for the Office of the Secretary of Defense, which is why I urge my colleagues to join me in impeaching him to protect the American people," he said.

A host of top Republicans have called for Austin to be fired over how the disclosure of his hospitalization was handled.

Fox News' Liz Friden contributed to this report.

Boebert responds to reports of fight with ex-husband at Colorado restaurant after police called

Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., responded to reports about the congresswoman fighting with her ex-husband at a Colorado restaurant after the police were called. 

"This is a sad situation for all that keeps escalating and another reason I’m moving," Boebert said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital. "I didn’t punch Jayson in the face and no one was arrested. I will be consulting with my lawyer about the false claims he made against me and evaluate all of my legal options."

The Silt Police Department confirmed to outlets, including The Denver Post and The Washington Post, that officers responded to Miner’s Claim restaurant, located within Boebert's district, on Saturday evening regarding an incident involving the congresswoman and her ex-husband, Jayson Boebert, but declined to provide more details at this stage of the investigation. 

In a brief phone call with The Denver Post, Jayson Boebert reportedly said he called the Silt Police Department on Sunday morning and told police he did not want to press charges.

"I don’t want nothing to happen," Jayson Boebert reportedly said. "Her and I were working through a difficult conversation."

LAUREN BOEBERT ADDRESSES THEATER INCIDENT: 'I MESSED UP'

Fox News Digital reached out to the Silt Police Department early Monday morning but did not immediately hear back. 

Silt Police Chief Mike Kite also confirmed the investigation to The Associated Press, but declined to release details, including who called police.

Officers planned to talk with witnesses and ask the restaurant owners for any video that might have captured what happened, Kite told the AP. 

According to The Denver Post, the incident was first exposed by American Muckrakers, a group that says it's vying to "Fire Boebert" and has been calling for her resignation. 

On X, American Muckrakers alleged that a physical altercation had ensued and said the group was filing a public information request for the surveillance tapes of the incident. 

LAUREN BOEBERT SWITCHES DISTRICTS, ANNOUNCING RUN FOR COLORADO SEAT BEING VACATED BY KEN BUCK

Boebert's personal life received media attention in September, and the congresswoman apologized, after she and a date were asked to leave a Denver theater over inappropriate behavior. Infrared CCTV footage showing Boebert and her date apparently vaping and engaging in romantically inappropriate behavior during a performance of "Beetlejuice" had gone viral. 

A Republican who has served two terms in the U.S. House representing the western side of the state, Boebert announced on Dec. 27 that she was switching congressional districts this year to run for a seat representing the eastern side of Colorado. The 4th Congressional District seat is open with the retirement of Republican U.S. Rep. Ken Buck.

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In her current 3rd District, Boebert probably would have faced a tough Democratic challenge from Adam Frisch, who nearly defeated her in the 2022 general election. 

Boebert filed for divorce from her husband in April, and the divorce was finalized in October. 

In her relatively short time in Washington, Boebert built a national profile and has aligned with the right wing of the GOP. Her assertive style has grabbed headlines, most famously when she heckled President Biden during his 2022 State of the Union address.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

House GOP says Hunter Biden ‘violated federal law’ by defying subpoena, prepare contempt resolution

FIRST ON FOX: House Republicans have prepared a resolution that would hold Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress after the first son, in a "criminal act," defied a congressional subpoena and as part of the House impeachment inquiry against President Biden.

Fox News Digital on Monday obtained the contempt resolution and accompanying report from the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS CONSIDER HOLDING HUNTER BIDEN IN CONTEMPT OF CONGRESS

Instead, Hunter Biden appeared on Capitol Hill to deliver a statement to the press, defying that subpoena, and said he would only testify in a public setting.

"Mr. Biden has violated federal law, and must be held in contempt of Congress," the report reads.

The House Oversight report identifies Hunter Biden’s testimony as "a critical component of the impeachment inquiry into, among other things, whether Joseph R. Biden, Jr., as Vice President and/or President: (1) took any official action or effected any change in government policy because of money or other things of value provided to himself or his family; (2) abused his office of public trust by providing foreign interests with access to him and his office in exchange for payments to his family or him; or (3) abused his office of public trust by knowingly participating in a scheme to enrich himself or his family by giving foreign interests the impression that they would receive access to him and his office in exchange for payments to his family or him."

HOUSE GOP PROBING IF BIDEN WAS INVOLVED IN HUNTER'S 'SCHEME' TO DEFY SUBPOENA, POTENTIAL 'IMPEACHABLE OFFENSE'

"The Oversight and Accountability Committee, with the other investigating committees, has accumulated significant evidence suggesting that President Biden knew of, participated in, and profited from foreign business interests engaged in by his son, about which the Committees intended to question Mr. Biden during his deposition," the report states.

"Mr. Biden’s decision to defy the Committees’ subpoenas and deliver prepared remarks prevents the Committee from carrying out its Constitutional oversight function and its impeachment inquiry," it continues. 

The report and resolution is set to be considered by the House Oversight Committee during a markup meeting on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m.

HUNTER BIDEN WILL NOT SIT FOR DEPOSITION BY GOP, SAYS FATHER NOT 'FINANCIALLY' INVOLVED IN HIS BUSINESS

"Hunter Biden’s willful refusal to comply with our subpoenas constitutes contempt of Congress and warrants referral to the appropriate United States Attorney’s Office for prosecution," Comer said last week. "We will not provide him with special treatment because of his last name."

The House Judiciary Committee will also hold a similar markup on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. recommending Hunter Biden be held in contempt of Congress. 

Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin, D-Md., blasted the move, saying there "is no precedent for the U.S. House of Representatives holding a private citizen in contempt of Congress who has offered to testify in public, under oath, and on a day of the Committee’s choosing. Chairman Comer repeatedly urged Hunter Biden to appear at a Committee hearing, and Hunter Biden agreed." 

JORDAN SAYS HUNTER BIDEN MADE A 'HUGE CHANGE' BY SAYING HIS FATHER WAS 'NOT FINANCIALLY INVOLVED' IN BUSINESS

Meanwhile, last month, Comer and Jordan expanded their investigation to probe whether President Biden was involved in his son's "scheme" to defy his subpoena for deposition earlier this month — conduct, they say, "could constitute an impeachable offense."

The House impeachment inquiry against President Biden was formalized by the full House last month. The inquiry is being led by Comer, Jordan and House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo.

Hunter Biden, Mayorkas, Fauci: House lawmakers return from holidays for a high-profile week

House lawmakers will be off to the races when they’re back on Capitol Hill Monday, for the first week of their 2024 legislative session.

The GOP majority has scheduled several big priorities for the week of Jan. 8 related to two separate impeachment probes as well as a visit to Congress by infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci. 

Fauci’s first sit-down of the 118th Congress will be a closed-door interview with the House select committee on COVID-19. 

He’ll field questions from lawmakers on both sides on Monday and Tuesday for a marathon seven hours each day. 

On Jan. 10, the House Oversight Committee and the Homeland Security Committee are both taking big steps in Republicans’ push for accountability for the Biden administration. 

HOUSE LEAVES FOR THE YEAR WITH CRITICAL BATTLES STILL ON HORIZON

Oversight Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., announced his panel would hold a procedural meeting to advance a contempt resolution against Hunter Biden, President Biden’s son, for failure to comply with a congressional subpoena.

Republicans had subpoenaed Hunter for a sworn deposition on Dec. 13 as part of an impeachment inquiry looking into whether the president and his family profited off of foreign business deals.

He skipped the sit-down, instead opting to hold a press conference in front of the U.S. Capitol criticizing the GOP’s impeachment inquiry of his father. 

WHERE NO CONGRESS HAS GONE BEFORE: FACING GALACTIC-SCALE FISCAL CLIFF AND BORDER SECURITY THREATS

Comer said Friday that "Hunter Biden’s willful refusal to comply with our subpoenas constitutes contempt of Congress and warrants referral to the appropriate United States Attorney’s Office for prosecution. We will not provide him with special treatment because of his last name."

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the top Democrat on the committee, panned Comer’s decision to hold Hunter in contempt and pointed out that he offered to testify in a public hearing – despite Republicans insisting on a closed-door deposition first. 

"Instead of taking yes for an answer, Chairman Comer has now obstructed his own hapless investigation by denying Hunter Biden the opportunity to answer all the committee’s questions in front of the American people and the world," Raskin said.

SENATE HAS ONLY PASSED 3 OUT OF 12 SPENDING BILLS AS DEADLINE LOOMS

Also on Jan. 10, the Homeland Security Committee is holding its first hearing in House Republicans’ impeachment of DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

The House voted in November to refer a resolution to impeach Mayorkas to the committee, giving them the reins in the GOP’s quest to oust the Biden official.

"Our investigation made clear that this crisis finds its foundation in Secretary Mayorkas’ decision-making and refusal to enforce the laws passed by Congress, and that his failure to fulfill his oath of office demands accountability," Committee Chair Mark Green, R-Tenn., said in a statement.

"The bipartisan House vote in November to refer articles of impeachment to my committee only served to highlight the importance of our taking up the impeachment process – which is what we will begin doing next Wednesday."

After the high-profile action of this week is over, lawmakers likely will not get much breathing room – the House and Senate must reach a deal on government funding by Jan. 19 or risk a partial government shutdown.

House Democrats accuse Trump of raking in $7.8 million in foreign payments while president

House Democrats are accusing former President Donald Trump of taking in more than $7.8 million from foreign governments via payments to the Trump Organization while he was in the White House.

A majority of that came from the Chinese government and state-owned entities, Democrats said, while the rest came from 19 other countries, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar.

Minority staff on the House Oversight Committee released a 156-page report on Thursday detailing claims that the former president repeatedly violated the emoluments clause of the Constitution, which states that federal officials may not accept gifts or cash from foreign state actors without Congressional approval. 

"After promising ‘the greatest infomercial in political history,’ former President Donald Trump repeatedly and willfully violated the U.S. Constitution by failing to divest from his business empire and allowing his businesses to accept millions of dollars in payments from some of the most corrupt nations on earth," the top Democrat on the committee Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said.

JACK SMITH DISPUTES TRUMP'S PRESIDENTIAL IMMUNITY CLAIM IN APPEALS COURT

"The limited records that the Committee obtained show that while Donald Trump was in office, he received more than $5.5 million from the Chinese government and Chinese state-owned enterprises, as well as millions more from 19 other foreign governments, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Malaysia through just four of the more than 500 entities he owned."

Along with the report, Oversight Democrats also produced more than 400 pages, some redacted, of documents from Mazars USA LLC — Trump’s former accounting firm. 

They accused the former president of allowing his businesses to profit off of foreign cash while suggesting he provided benefits to those countries in return.

SUPREME COURT DECLINES TO ISSUE EXPEDITED RULING ON TRUMP IMMUNITY CASE

Much of the investigation appears to have focused on the Trump Organization’s hotels in Las Vegas, New York, and Washington, D.C., as well as Trump Tower in Manhattan.

Some of the payments appear to be linked to short-term hotel stays while Trump was in office, like room and dining fees. 

Other cashflows are for longer-term arrangements. The report said that Trump received more than $615,000 from Saudi Arabia while in office, both through its lease of the 45th floor of Trump Tower and through stays at Trump International Hotel in DC. 

The Indian government spent at least $282,764 on Trump properties during his administration, including the cost of two units of Trump Tower. 

It’s not immediately clear whether all of the contracts or agreements on the Trump Tower payments were made before the former president took office or started his 2016 campaign. The report noted that Mazars only handed over information for Trump Tower for the year 2018.

A spokesperson for the Trump Organization pointed out that Beijing-backed bank ICBC "was a tenant who signed a 20 year office lease in a Trump Tower in 2008, almost a decade before President Trump entered office." 

The spokesperson also said "foreign profits were donated in full to the United States Treasury for patronage at our properties while President Trump was in office."

"The house democrats are desperate to save face for Hunter Biden but there there is a large difference between someone who leases commercial office space to a foreign company a decade ago (in 2008 to be exact) versus the son and family members of the Vice President extracting money from China, Ukraine and Romania and others while providing no apparent or tangible goods and services. It would be dishonest to not clearly distinguish between the two," the spokesperson told Fox News Digital.

"We do not have the ability or viability to stop someone from booking through third parties — Expedia etc — hence the voluntary donation of profits on an annual basis which has been covered ad nauseam."

The report conceded that the overall findings were based on just a fraction of Trump’s accounting records — and Raskin blamed Republicans for their inability to get the rest.

TRUMP BLASTS MANHATTAN JUDGE, DEFENDS HIS 'VERY GOOD CHILDREN' AMID TRUMP ORG CIVIL TRIAL FROM NYAG LAWSUIT

"While the figures and constitutional violations in this report are shocking, we still don’t know the extent of the foreign payments that Donald Trump received—or even the total number of countries that paid him and his businesses while he was President—because Committee Chairman James Comer and House Republicans buried any further evidence of the Trump family’s staggering corruption," Raskin said.

Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., responded to Fox News Digital: "It’s beyond parody that Democrats continue their obsession with former President Trump. Former President Trump has legitimate businesses but the Bidens do not."

"The Bidens and their associates made over $24 million by cashing in on the Biden name in China, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Romania. No goods or services were provided, other than access to Joe Biden and the Biden network," Comer said. 

He’s one of three committee chairs currently leading an impeachment inquiry of President Biden, specifically looking into whether he and his family profited off of foreign business deals while he was vice president.

In addition to the payments listed above, Democrats accused Trump of taking in $465,744 from Qatar for Trump Tower, $303,372 from Kuwait toward Trump Tower and Trump’s D.C. hotel and $248,962 from Malaysia spent at the D.C. hotel. 

House GOP probing if Biden was involved in Hunter’s ‘scheme’ to defy subpoena, potential ‘impeachable offense’

FIRST ON FOX: House Republicans are investigating whether President Biden was involved in his son Hunter Biden’s "scheme" to defy his subpoena for deposition earlier this month — conduct, they say, "could constitute an impeachable offense." 

The House Oversight Committee, House Judiciary Committee, and House Ways & Means Committee are investigating "whether sufficient grounds exist to draft articles of impeachment against President Biden for consideration by the full House." The House formalized the inquiry earlier this month. 

JORDAN SAYS HUNTER BIDEN MADE A 'HUGE CHANGE' BY SAYING HIS FATHER WAS 'NOT FINANCIALLY INVOLVED' IN BUSINESS

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, on Wednesday penned a letter, obtained by Fox News Digital, to White House Counsel Edward Siskel, notifying him of the additional area of their investigation. 

"In light of an official statement from the White House that President Biden was aware in advance that his son, Hunter Biden, would knowingly defy two congressional subpoenas, we are compelled to examine as part of our impeachment inquiry whether the President engaged in a conspiracy to obstruct a proceeding of Congress," Comer and Jordan wrote to Siskel. 

The subpoenas were both for Hunter Biden's deposition — one from Comer and one from Jordan. The two chairmen planned to hold the deposition in the same room, at the same time. 

The president’s son was subpoenaed to appear for a deposition before the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees earlier this month. Hunter Biden defied that subpoena, and instead, appeared on Capitol Hill and delivered a public statement before the press.

"On December 13, Mr. Biden did not appear for the deposition as required by the Committees’ subpoenas. Instead, Mr. Biden appeared on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol with his attorney and Representative Eric Swalwell," they wrote. "Mr. Biden gave a lengthy public statement to an assembly of reporters in which he made several statements that are relevant to the House’s impeachment inquiry, including representations about his business activities, assertions about President Biden’s awareness and ‘financial’ involvement in these activities, and attacks on the Committees’ inquiry." 

Hunter Biden "indicated that he would only testify in a public forum, a demand for special treatment that the Committees had previously rejected." 

HUNTER BIDEN WILL NOT SIT FOR DEPOSITION BY GOP, SAYS FATHER NOT 'FINANCIALLY' INVOLVED IN HIS BUSINESS

"Although Mr. Biden professed an interest in answering questions about his actions, he departed the Capitol grounds without taking any questions. The committees subsequently recorded Mr. Biden’s non-appearance at his deposition," they wrote. 

But later that day, Comer and Jordan pointed to a statement made by White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. She was asked whether the president had watched his son’s public statement. 

"White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated that President Biden was ‘certainly familiar with what his son was going to say,’" they wrote. "Ms. Jean-Pierre declined, however, to provide any further details about the President’s actions on whether the president approved of his son defying congressional subpoenas." 

They added, though, that Jean-Pierre’s statement "suggests the President had some amount of advanced knowledge that Mr. Biden would choose to defy two congressional subpoenas." 

The chairmen pointed to the criminal code, citing the section which it states that it is unlawful to "corruptly…endeavor to influence, obstruct, or impede the due and proper exercise of the power of inquiry under which any investigation or inquiry is being had by…any committee of either House or any joint committee of Congress." 

"Likewise, any person who ‘aids, abets, counsels, commands, induces or procures’ the commission of a crime is punishable as a principal of the crime," they wrote. 

"In light of Ms. Jean-Pierre’s statement, we are compelled to examine the involvement of the President in his son’s scheme to defy the Committees’ subpoenas," they wrote. "The Committees have accumulated substantial evidence that Hunter Biden’s business endeavors have improperly included his father, and the President has made false claims about his knowledge and involvement in these schemes." 

WHITE HOUSE, HUNTER BIDEN’S TEAM KEEP SHIFTING GOALPOSTS IN DENYING DAD’S INVOLVEMENT WITH BUSINESSES

Comer and Jordan also said that just days before Hunter Biden was scheduled to appear for his deposition, the president "claimed he had not interacted with any of his son’s business partners." 

"This is false," they wrote. "The President has met with, spoken to, and received money sourced from his son’s foreign business partners." 

Comer and Jordan said that in light of the evidence they have collected, "the fact that the President had advanced awareness" that his son would defy the subpoenas "raises a troubling new question that we must examine: whether the President corruptly sought to influence or obstruct the Committee’s proceeding by preventing, discouraging, or dissuading his son from complying with the Committee’s subpoenas." 

"Such conduct could constitute an impeachable offense," they wrote.

The chairmen demanded all documents and communications sent or received by the White House regarding Hunter Biden’s deposition, including communications with Hunter Biden, law firm Winston & Strawn LLP, and Kevin Morris. 

They also demanded all documents and communications sent or received by employees of the White House Executive Office regarding the president’s statement about his family’s business associates on Dec. 6, 2023. 

Comer and Jordan gave Siskel until Jan. 10, 2024 to produce the information. 

2023’s biggest losers in politics

Competitiveness is a cornerstone of American politics, so much so that it’s been called a blood sport at times. And, as in any competition, winners and losers always emerge.

Fox News Digital takes a look at some of the biggest political losers of 2023.

Former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot's re-election campaign, which culminated in her loss to current Mayor Brandon Johnson, was marked by several self-inflicted wounds.

The former Democratic mayor took the brunt of criticism directed at city officials over the city's rising rate of violent crime. Lightfoot also faced bipartisan blowback for her handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, including clashes with progressives and the teachers union.

OUTGOING HOUSE LAWMAKERS LAMENT CHAOS IN CONGRESS: 'A BIT OF A CARNIVAL'

Youngkin’s upset victory in 2021 over former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe set him on a path to political stardom. The parental rights-focused Republican governor was almost immediately touted as a future presidential candidate, even possibly as early as 2024. 

But he staked his national reputation on Republicans winning the full Virginia legislature in November, even suggesting a 15-week abortion limit would be on the table if the commonwealth went red. 

Democrats, however, ended up flipping the Virginia House of Delegates while retaining control of the state Senate.

VIRGINIA SENATE NAMES CAUCUS LEADERS FOR UPCOMING LEGISLATIVE SESSION

One Virginia Democrat who did not fare well in the latest election cycle, however, is Gibson, the nurse practitioner whose promising campaign for a swing seat in the House of Delegates was derailed by revelations laid bare just weeks before Election Day.

The Washington Post first reported that Gibson and her husband broadcast sex acts on social media, accepting tips in exchange for lewd requests. 

She wound up losing the Richmond-area seat by less than 1,000 votes.

Rep. Tlaib, D-Mich., the only Palestinian-American in Congress, has long been a critical voice against the Israeli government, part of a small but growing faction of progressives bucking Democrats’ traditional pro-Israel stance. 

However, she’s isolated herself this year after Hamas’ Oct. 7 surprise attack on Israel and Israel’s subsequent military response, going further than most with her reaction to the war in Gaza. 

Her response to the crisis resulted in a formal House censure along bipartisan lines in November. 

ISRAEL RESUMES BOMBARDMENT OF GAZA AFTER CEASE-FIRE WITH HAMAS ENDS

Embattled former House Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., dominated headlines with an array of colorful scandals, from federal charges that included wire fraud to allegations he was responsible for the cancer death of a military veteran’s dog. 

Santos’ backstory quickly unraveled when he got to Congress, and it was found he lied about his college degree, work and ancestry. 

But criminal charges related to misuse of campaign funds were the final nail in the coffin for Santos’ House career, and he was expelled by a two-thirds majority vote Dec. 1.

This year has seen the country’s octogenarian commander in chief dealing with an impeachment inquiry as he continues to struggle with low poll numbers.

Despite traveling the country touting key victories, mainly his bipartisan infrastructure bill, Biden is still working to convince voters he is fit for another four years in the White House.

In addition to questions about his age and whether he profited from his role as vice president, Biden is also dealing with progressive outrage over his support for Israel in its war on Hamas. 

KEVIN MCCARTHY, MATT GAETZ TRADE JABS AS FIERCE RIVALRY CONTINUES: HE 'BELONGS IN JAIL'

It’s culminated in early voter polls that show gloomy forecasts for his re-election prospects over the last several weeks.

McCarthy began his 2023 with a marathon 15 rounds of voting across three days, the world watching him wrangle a divided House GOP Conference to eventually win the speaker’s gavel.

On Dec. 14, McCarthy was giving his final speech to a House floor filled with less than a dozen lawmakers, mostly his allies.

He told reporters later that day it was a "bittersweet" ending to his career in Congress, which saw him make history in October as the first ousted speaker of the House. He announced in December he would leave Congress altogether.

McCarthy chalked it up to personal vendettas during a final exit interview with reporters later that day, but he remained optimistic. 

"I loved every minute, good or bad," he said.

But while he made Fox News Digital’s list of 2023’s political losers, McCarthy could ascend again.

He intends to remain a significant figure in the GOP fundraising sphere and is almost certain to be a hot commodity in Washington, D.C., for some time. He didn’t rule out a return to government either.

Hunter goes shopping with Joe Biden days after defying congressional subpoena

Hunter Biden was photographed Monday afternoon shopping in Delaware with his father, President Biden, just days after he defied a congressional subpoena to attend a closed-door deposition.

Hunter and the president together visited a jewelry store in Greenville, Delaware, and, hours earlier, were spotted at St. Joseph's on the Brandywine Roman Catholic Church in Wilmington, Delaware, for mass. The president's embattled son has faced heavy criticism and calls to be held in contempt of Congress in recent days after he refused last week to sit for the deposition requested by House investigators.

"Hunter Biden today defied lawful subpoenas and we will now initiate contempt of Congress proceedings," House Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said in a joint statement on Dec. 13. "We will not provide special treatment because his last name is Biden."

"As our committees were today prepared to depose Hunter Biden, he chose to make a public statement on Capitol Hill instead where he said his father, Joe Biden was not financially involved in his family’s business dealings," they continued. "Exactly how was Joe Biden involved? Evidence shows Joe Biden met with Hunter’s business associates and his name was at the center of the family business strategy."

COMER DEFENDS PRIVATE DEPOSITION OF HUNTER BIDEN, VOWS TO RELEASE TRANSCRIPT AND HOLD PUBLIC HEARING

Hunter ultimately refused to sit for the deposition in a press conference last week, where he accused Republican lawmakers of attempting to "dehumanize" him and embarrass his father. The younger Biden said his father had never been financially involved in his business dealings, including his work with Ukrainian natural gas firm Burisma Holdings or Chinese firms.

And after he defied the subpoena, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters President Biden and first lady Jill Biden were "proud" of their son for "continuing to rebuild his life." The White House has repeatedly said that President Biden did nothing wrong and had no knowledge of his son's business dealings.

Later that evening, the House voted along party lines to formalize its impeachment inquiry into the president over his family's business dealings. 

NOTORIOUS MOBSTER STUNNED BY LATEST HUNTER BIDEN ALLEGATIONS: ‘MIND-BLOWING'

Since taking control of the House, Republicans led by Comer have pursued a sprawling investigation into the Biden family and whether the president participated in questionable deals Hunter was involved in. The probe gained momentum this month after Comer released subpoenaed bank records showing an entity owned by Hunter had made "direct monthly payments to Joe Biden."

In addition, in June, the House Ways and Means Committee, which has also participated in the investigation, released 2017 messages in which Hunter Biden excoriated Chinese business partner Henry Zhao for not fulfilling a "commitment" and said his father was sitting beside him.

"I am sitting here with my father, and we would like to understand why the commitment made has not been fulfilled. Tell the director that I would like to resolve this now before it gets out of hand, and now means tonight," Hunter Biden wrote in a WhatsApp message to Zhao, the CEO of Beijing-based asset management firm Harvest Fund Management, on July 30, 2017, according to documents released by House Republicans.

FORMER UKRAINE PROSECUTOR MAKES EXPLOSIVE CLAIMS AGAINST JOE AND HUNTER BIDEN IN NEW INTERVIEW

Days after that message, on Aug. 4, 2017, Chinese firm CEFC Infrastructure Investment wired $100,000 to Hunter Biden’s law firm Owasco, according to a 2020 report published by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Days later, on Aug. 8, 2017, CEFC Infrastructure Investment sent $5 million to Hudson West III, a firm Hunter Biden opened with Chinese associates.

And the 2020 Senate report revealed that, beginning on Aug. 14, 2017, Hunter Biden initiated a string of 20 wire transactions from Owasco to Lion Hall Group, a consulting firm linked to President Biden's brother, James Biden, and his wife, Sara. The transactions continued through Aug. 3, 2018, and totaled $1.4 million.

The payments between Hunter Biden and his father, which Comer released earlier Monday, were sent from an account linked to Owasco.

Last week, Fox News Digital reported that a bank investigator raised concerns about Hunter Biden’s receipt of an additional $5 million wire from a Chinese company in August 2018 to his bank account, Hudson West III.

Hunter Biden transferred $400,000 to his Owasco PC account. Funds were then transferred to a business account belonging to James Biden and later transferred to a personal account belonging to James Biden and Sara Biden.

Comer claims they used those funds to then cut a check to Joe Biden for $40,000. That check was labeled as a "loan repayment."