House Republicans are planning to take action against Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, after he defied a congressional subpoena to appear for a private deposition last month. The Republicans leading the House Oversight and Accountability Committee and the Judiciary Committee announced on Friday that they will hold votes on contempt charges against Hunter Biden as part of the final stages of the impeachment inquiry.

Reps. James Comer and Jim Jordan released a joint statement stating that Hunter Biden's refusal to comply with the subpoenas constitutes contempt of Congress and should be referred to the appropriate United States Attorney's Office for prosecution. They emphasized that they will not provide him with special treatment due to his last name.

Hunter Biden and his lawyers have strongly criticized the GOP-issued subpoena, arguing that closed-door testimony can be selectively leaked and manipulated. They have insisted that Hunter would only testify in a public setting. Hunter Biden's attorney, Abbe Lowell, stated that the Republican chairmen are not interested in getting the facts and accused them of playing politics. He questioned why they were afraid of allowing Hunter to testify publicly.

The Republicans' impeachment inquiry has been focused on tying President Joe Biden to his son's business dealings. However, they have not been able to find any evidence directly implicating the president in any wrongdoing. Their investigation has particularly focused on Hunter Biden's overseas business dealings, which they allege have personally benefited the president. They have also looked into whistleblower allegations of interference in the Justice Department investigation into Hunter Biden's taxes and gun use.

The hearings on contempt of Congress are scheduled for Wednesday, one day before Hunter Biden is set to make his first court appearance on tax charges in Los Angeles. He is facing multiple felony and misdemeanor counts, including filing a false return, tax evasion, failure to file, and failure to pay. Hunter Biden's lawyer has accused special counsel David Weiss of bowing to Republican pressure in the case.

House Republicans have announced their intention to hold Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress after he refused to comply with a congressional subpoena for closed-door testimony. Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer has stated that his panel will consider a resolution and accompanying report to penalize Hunter Biden for his defiance of the subpoena. The contempt resolution would require approval by the full House if the Oversight panel advances it.

The Oversight and Judiciary Committees had demanded Hunter Biden's presence for a private deposition on December 13, which he declined. Instead, he delivered a brief statement to reporters outside the U.S. Capitol, reiterating that he would only answer lawmakers' questions in a public setting. He accused Republicans of distorting the facts and selectively releasing information from prior closed-door interviews.

Comer and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan have stated that Hunter Biden's refusal to comply with their subpoenas constitutes contempt of Congress and should be referred to federal prosecutors. They emphasized that they will not provide him with special treatment due to his last name. Hunter Biden's lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

GOP lawmakers have been investigating Hunter Biden's business dealings for almost a year and have accused President Joe Biden of benefiting from his son and brother's overseas work. However, they have not presented any evidence of wrongdoing by the president. Last month, the GOP-led House voted along party lines to formalize an impeachment inquiry into President Biden.

As part of their investigation, the Oversight, Judiciary, and Ways and Means panels have requested information from the White House regarding President Biden's alleged involvement in his son's defiance of the congressional subpoena. They have given the White House until Wednesday to provide documents related to Hunter Biden's scheduled deposition.