Republicans issued a subpoena for Hunter Biden to appear behind closed doors. He refused, saying he would only testify in public. Wednesday, they began a process to hold him in contempt of Congress.
ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
House Republicans conducting an impeachment investigation into President Biden allege, without clear evidence, that Biden is entangled in his son Hunter’s foreign business dealings. Last month, Hunter Biden refused a subpoena to testify behind closed doors, saying he would only testify in public. So today, Republican lawmakers began a process to hold him in contempt of Congress. As NPR’s Eric McDaniel reports, it was chaos. And a warning – it also involved some vulgar language.
ERIC MCDANIEL, BYLINE: It started with a stunt. Hunter Biden appeared in the audience for his own contempt hearing. Here’s South Carolina Republican Nancy Mace’s reaction.
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NANCY MACE: You are the epitome of white privilege – coming into the Oversight Committee, spitting in our face, ignoring a congressional subpoena to be deposed. What are you afraid of? You have no balls to come up here and…
JARED MOSKOWITZ: Mr. Chairman, point of inquiry.
MACE: Mr. Chairman…
MOSKOWITZ: If…
JAMES COMER: The lady is recognized.
MOSKOWITZ: …The gentlelady wants to hear from Hunter Biden, we can hear from him right now. Let’s take a vote and hear from Hunter Biden.
MACE: I am speaking. Are women allowed to speak here?
MOSKOWITZ: What are you afraid of?
(CROSSTALK)
MCDANIEL: That was Florida Democrat Jared Moskowitz interrupting her there. And in a hearing that was supposed to be about defying a congressional subpoena in a larger investigation that could ultimately end in impeaching the president of the United States, committee members kept losing their way, drawn into fights that often got pretty personal. Here’s Texas Democrat Jasmine Crockett in part of an extended exchange about white privilege.
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