Hunter Biden showed up unexpectedly on Wednesday to a House hearing considering whether to hold him in contempt of Congress.
Biden's appearance comes as two House committees consider separate votes to hold him in contempt after the president's son failed to show up to be deposed in December.
Biden has offered to testify in public, but has refused to give closed-door testimony.
The Oversight Committee has been leading an investigation into Biden's business transactions. The committee is investigating whether his business dealings compromise U.S. national security and President Biden’s ability to lead with impartiality.
"Hunter Biden's willful refusal to comply with our subpoenas constitutes contempt of Congress and warrants referral to the appropriate United States Attorney's Office for prosecution," Reps. James Comer, R-Ky., and Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said in a joint statement. "We will not provide him with special treatment because of his last name."
If either committee votes in favor of holding Biden in contempt, the recommendation would then go to the full House for a vote. From there, the House can request the Department of Justice charge Hunter Biden for contempt of Congress.
Biden was charged in 2023 on federal charges of failing to pay his taxes after serving on boards of a Ukrainian industrial conglomerate and a Chinese private equity fund.
As the committee hearing continued, Biden left the room, which angered Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican.
"I think it's clear and obvious for everyone watching this hearing today that Hunter Biden is terrified of strong conservative Republican women because he can't even face my words as I was about to speak to him. What a coward," she said.
Biden's attorney Abbe Lowell gave a statement to reporters during the hearing.
"We have offered to work the House committees to see what and how relevant information any legitimate input could be provided. Our first five offers were ignored. And then in November, they issued a subpoena for a behind-closed-doors deposition — a tactic that the Republicans have repeatedly misused in their political crusade to selectively leak and mischaracterize what witnesses have said," Lowell said.
