Hunter Biden Faces Calls to Be Arrested After Skipping Testimony

President Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden, is facing calls to be arrested after he defied a House subpoena to appear for closed-door testimony.

Hunter Biden, along with other members of the Biden family, has been called to testify before Republican investigators as part of an impeachment inquiry into the president, led by the House Oversight Committee.

Republican Representative James Comer of Kentucky, who chairs the House Oversight committee, claimed that his Republican-led panel found evidence that President Joe Biden was involved with and benefited from his son's foreign business dealings. The White House has repeatedly denied that Biden ever had any involvement in his son's dealings.

Hunter Biden failed to appear before the House committee for a private deposition on Wednesday, insisting that he will testify only in public.

"Republicans do not want an open process where Americans can see their tactics, expose their baseless inquiry, or hear what I have to say," Hunter Biden said outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. "What are they afraid of? I am here."

Newsweek reached out to Biden's lawyer and the White House via email for comment.

Following Hunter Biden's decision to defy his subpoena, Comer said he would attempt to hold him in contempt.

"Hunter Biden today defied lawful subpoenas and we will now initiate contempt of Congress proceedings," Comer said Wednesday in a joint statement with Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio. "We will not provide special treatment because his last name is Biden."

If Biden is held in contempt, he could face fines or jail time.

House Republicans criticized Hunter Biden on social media.

"Hunter Biden gave a press conference and then left Capitol Hill," Representative Lauren Boebert of Colorado wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "He refused to cooperate with the investigation into him and his father's corruption and came here to mock Congress with his stunt. He needs to be held in contempt."

Sharing a photo of Biden outside the U.S. Capitol, Representative Nancy Mace of South Carolina wrote on X: "As many of you know, I have no problem holding those who ignore Congressional subpoenas in contempt of Congress. And I don't much care what side of the aisle you're on either. It's time to hold this guy in contempt."

Representative Pat Fallon of Texas wrote on X: "Hunter Biden: Says he's here to answer questions, but skips deposition, moves the goalposts re: his dad's involvement w/ business deals (Joe Biden was 100% involved), plays the victim, when he's the one who committed the crimes. We must hold him in contempt of Congress."

Responding to Biden's remarks outside of the Capitol, Representative Byron Donalds of Florida wrote on X: "A staged press conference is NOT under oath. There's a reason why Hunter skipped the closed-door deposition, he would have pleaded the fifth to avoid lying under oath. Hunter was the bag man for the Biden Family. Joe knew, Jill knew, James knew, and the whole family knew."

Newsweek reached out to Boebert, Fallon and Donalds via email and Mace via online form for comment.