Hunter Biden faces backlash after defying subpoena with press conference 'stunt': 'Hold him in contempt!'
Hunter was subpoenaed to appear before the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Hunter Biden is facing intense backlash after holding a Capitol Hill press conference on Wednesday in which he refused to sit for a deposition before Congress, and declared his father, President Biden, was never "financially involved" in his business dealings.
Calls to hold Hunter in contempt of Congress began almost immediately following the end of the press conference, while other critics pointed to the claims concerning his father's relationship to his business dealings as "goalpost shifting."
"They belittled my recovery, and they have tried to dehumanize me, all to embarrass my father, who has devoted his entire life to public service," Hunter said. "For six years I have been a target of the unrelenting Trump attack team. ‘Where’s Hunter?’ Well, here’s my answer. I am here."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He added that "my father was not financially involved in my business," saying the elder Biden was not involved in his dealings with Ukrainian natural gas firm Burisma Holdings, or his Chinese investments and others in the United States.
A recent column from New York Times columnist Frank Bruni claimed that the media and Biden allies ignoring the Hunter Biden scandal and other Biden administration corruption are being "dishonest" and "dangerous." (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
"We have moved from Joe Biden saying he never discussed business with Hunter to a new argument of Joe Biden wasn’t financially involved at all with Hunter’s business & most media haven’t covered the changing stories. Hold Hunter in contempt & impeach Joe," OutKick founder and Fox News contributor Clay Travis wrote on X.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Hunter Biden refuses to comply with [Rep. James Comer's, R-Ky.] subpoena to be deposed behind closed doors and demands a public hearing so he can tell sob stories on TV. Reminder that Don Jr. testified behind closed doors for over 40 hours about the Russia hoax. Hold him in contempt!" conservative commentator Greg Price wrote.
Republicans on the House Oversight Committee quickly reacted on social media, pushing back against Hunter's "stunt."
Reps. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., and Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., both echoed those calls to hold Hunter in contempt, accusing him of mocking Congress with a "stunt" and calling his refusal an "obstruction of justice."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Hunter Biden, this ain't Burger King. You can't Have It Your Way when it comes to congressional subpoenas. Quit the stunts, make your way to the deposition room, and let's talk," Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., wrote.
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Donalds also responded to Hunter's claim he was being targeted by "MAGA Republicans," declaring, "'MAGA Republicans' did not impugn Hunter Biden's character. Hunter Biden did that to himself."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"What’s Hunter Biden so afraid of?" wrote Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C.
"This is one HELL of a new qualifier from Hunter Biden. Hunter now says, "My father was not financially involved in my business" FLASHBACK: Joe Biden used to say he has never talked about business with his family. This is a major shift from the Bidens," GOP communications strategist Steve Guest wrote.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Abigail Jackson, the communications director for Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., echoed Guest, noting that "we've gone from Joe Biden claiming he never even discussed business with Hunter to Hunter claiming Joe was never *financially* involved in his business. Big goalpost shifting and lots of lies from the Bidens."
Hunter Biden, the son of President Biden, is seen after making a statement during a news conference outside the U.S. Capitol about testifying publicly to the House Oversight and Accountability Committee on Wednesday. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
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"First, Joe Biden had no knowledge, then he had no involvement, and now he has no ‘financial’ involvement. Time to explain ‘10 held by H for the big guy,’ the reported bank records showing a money trail to Joe Biden, and Hunter's messages saying Joe Biden financially benefited," Republican National Committee strategic communications director Tommy Pigott wrote.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News' Brooke Singman contributed to this report.