(NewsInsights.org) – House Oversight Chair James Comer (R-KY) and attorney Abbe Lowell, representing Hunter Biden, have continued their battle of wills and words through letters and social media. However, Comer is threatening to raise the stakes and take the battle with President Joe Biden’s already legally troubled son into a court of law by holding him in Contempt of Congress unless the younger Biden agrees to comply with the Oversight Committee’s subpoena to appear and testify before a closed-door session on December 13.
Since November 28, Lowell has pointed out that his client would willingly testify before an open-door session of the Oversight Committee and answer “any pertinent and relevant question[s]” members have, according to The Washington Post. The lawyer argued that a public hearing eliminates “selective leaks, manipulated transcripts, doctored exhibits, or one-sided press statements.”
Yet, Comer saw the ploy differently. As he said in a tweet on X, formerly Twitter, on November 28, the chairman accused the president’s son of trying to game the system, flouting rules everyone else must follow. The GOP leader claimed House Republicans wouldn’t stand for such disrespect.
In a December 1 reply to Lowell, Comer said he would not afford Biden “special treatment” by allowing him to substitute a public hearing for a deposition, as listed in the subpoena. He told Lowell he wouldn’t allow Biden to dictate how the Oversight, Ways and Means, or Judiciary Committees conduct their investigations, including depositions. He said the Oversight committee intended to video the deposition and release a transcription sometime after the deposition session.
Lowell replied on December 6, according to NPR, and told Comer his client would only testify publicly because the committee had a proven record of using “closed-door sessions to manipulate, even distort, the facts and misinform the American public.” The attorney argued that a public hearing, by contrast, would increase transparency.
Yet, Comer fired back a letter that day, telling Lowell his client had “no ‘choice’ […] to make” because the subpoena compels him to comply on December 13 or face Contempt of Congress proceedings.
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