House Republicans are racing full steam ahead in their investigation into corruption allegations involving Joe Biden and his family, even after the president referred to their vote to initiate a formal impeachment inquiry Wednesday as a "baseless political stunt."
Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., told Wednesday that the impeachment inquiry, which the House approved by a 221-212 vote, gives Republicans more legal standing to contest the stonewalling of their investigation by Joe Biden administration agencies and to compel those such as Hunter Biden, the president's son, into complying with subpoenas.
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"We have a lot more standing in court when we go to court to get people to comply with our subpoenas," Comer, chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, told "Rob Schmitt Tonight." "We also have a lot of information requested from various administrative agencies and offices. They have obstructed our investigation. They have not complied with our request.
"And this gives us a greater standing in court, so we expect to get information quicker. We expect to depose people quicker now, so this was a very positive step forward in our investigation."
But President Biden said in a statement released by the White House that House Republicans are focusing on impeachment instead of on helping Ukraine and Israel with financial assistance, addressing the crisis at the southern border, and working to avoid a government shutdown.
"I wake up every day focused on the issues facing the American people — real issues that impact their lives, and the strength and security of our country and the world," the president said. "Unfortunately, House Republicans are not joining me. Instead of doing anything to help make Americans' lives better, they are focused on attacking me with lies.
"Instead of doing their job on the urgent work that needs to be done, they are choosing to waste time on this baseless political stunt that even Republicans in Congress admit is not supported by facts."
Earlier in the day, Hunter Biden, whose foreign business dealings are a central part of the House's case against the president and his family, said in a news conference on Capitol Hill that he would defy a congressional subpoena and not testify in front of the Oversight Committee behind closed doors. He said he would appear Wednesday only if the testimony were public, but Comer denied the request.
"This guy has been given special treatment his entire life," Comer said of Hunter Biden. "I've never seen such a performance that was full of entitlement and arrogance as that. He just defied a congressional subpoena. We've heard the videos where his dad said that people should be held accountable for defying a congressional subpoena."
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Comer said his committee is going to treat Hunter Biden just like any other witness.
"We're not going to give Hunter Biden special treatment," he said. "We're not going to treat him any better or worse than any other witness. He's a key witness in a major investigation of public corruption at the highest levels.
"We have been very transparent. We've been very meticulous in this investigation. We're now in the deposition phase. We gave him a lawful subpoena, and we expect him to come before the House Oversight Committee and be deposed."
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