On Wednesday, President Biden’s son, Hunter Biden defied a congressional subpoena to appear privately for a deposition in an impeachment inquiry against his father, prior to the House holding a vote to formalize the process. The chairman of the House Oversight Committee, Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, said that Republicans expect “full cooperation” with the private deposition. Comer and Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, the chair of the House Judiciary Committee, told reporters later Wednesday that they will begin looking at contempt of Congress proceedings in response to Hunter Biden’s lack of cooperation.

In a rare public statement, Hunter Biden spoke to reporters for about 10 minutes to Capitol Hill, saying he is prepared to testify in front of the Republican-led House Oversight Committee and Judiciary Committee, but only in public. The private deposition is part of the House’s impeachment investigation against the president. The president’s son slammed the subpoena requesting closed-door testimony, saying it could be manipulated, saying outside the Capitol: “Republicans do not want an open process where Americans can see their tactics, expose their baseless inquiry, or hear what I have to say. What are they afraid of? I am here. Hunter Biden added: “There is no evidence to support the allegations that my father was financially involved in my business because it did not happen.”

Republicans have been pursuing an impeachment inquiry seeking to tie President Joe Biden to his son’s business dealings, but have thus far failed to uncover evidence directly implicating President Biden in any wrongdoing. Questions have arisen about the ethics surrounding the Biden family’s international business, and some say their evidence points to “influence peddling” in their business dealings, particularly with international clients.

Hunter Biden is also facing additional criminal charges in two states from a special counsel overseeing a long-running investigation. He’s charged with firearm counts in Delaware, alleging he broke laws against drug users having guns in 2018, a period when he has acknowledged struggling with addiction. Special counsel David Weiss also filed new charges and nine new tax counts last week, alleging he schemed to avoid paying about $1.4 million in taxes over a three-year period.

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