Hunter Biden, the son of the president of the United States, stirred a frenzy in the U.S. Congress, leading to screaming matches as Republicans attempted to hold him in contempt of Congress for not testifying in their impeachment inquiry targeting his father.
After Hunter refused their summons for closed-door testimony last month, two Republican-led House committees -- oversight and judiciary -- met separately to debate contempt resolutions.
The party is rushing to smear President Joe Biden ahead of the November election when its nominee is expected to be the Democrat's scandal-plagued predecessor, Donald Trump.
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They have opened an impeachment probe on the Democrat based on allegations – for which no evidence has been offered – that he benefited from Hunter's foreign business dealings.
Hunter Biden, who has been pressing to testify in public but has refused to attend for a private interview, unexpectedly showed up and sat in the crowd before the oversight committee.
South Carolina Republican Nancy Mace slammed his participation as a "PR stunt" and said, "I think Hunter Biden should be arrested right here, right now, and go straight to jail."
As the hearing progressed, Mace stated that Hunter Biden "wasn't afraid to trade access to Joe Biden" but was "afraid" to cooperate with the committee's subpoena.
As Democrats answered scornfully, the proceedings devolved into a shouting war.
"The only people afraid to hear from the witness, with the American people watching, are my friends on the other side of the aisle," Florida's Jared Moskowitz said, ticking off a list of Republican lawmakers who had refused to testify about the Trump supporters' 2021 assault on the US Capitol.
Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the panel's top Democrat, accused chairman James Comer of refusing "to take yes for an answer from Hunter Biden."
Abbe Lowell, Biden's lawyer, told reporters outside that the 53-year-old entrepreneur was the victim of a "political crusade."
If the House passes the contempt resolution, the Justice Department will decide whether or not to file charges.
A prosecution would add to the legal difficulties of the president's son, who is scheduled to face federal court in California on Thursday to confront tax evasion accusations.
"Hunter, as you all know, is a private citizen," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in her daily briefing. He makes his own decisions, such as how to reply to Congress today."
Since 2008, the Justice Department has taken action in only two of the ten criminal contempt cases submitted by the House.
