Month: January 2024

House Republicans on the Judiciary and Oversight Committees released their report on Monday recommending that the president’s son, Hunter Biden, be held in contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena to appear for a closed-door transcribed interview as part of their impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.

In their reports, the committee’s chairmen, Reps. James Comer, R-Ky., and Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, outline their case for holding Hunter Biden in contempt. They said he was presented with a subpoena requiring him to appear for a closed-door deposition and was provided an opportunity to work with them to find a time that would work best with his schedule. But instead on the day of the deposition, Hunter Biden held a press event in front of the Capitol but took no questions. Comer and Jordan argue that his actions were unlawful and that he should be held accountable: “Mr. Biden’s flagrant defiance of the Committees’ deposition subpoenas — while choosing to appear nearby on the Capitol grounds to read a prepared statement on the same matters — is contemptuous, and he must be held accountable for his unlawful actions.”

The two committees also released resolutions that will be marked up in committee hearings Wednesday at 10 a.m. ET. If the resolutions pass the committees, they will then be allowed to be voted on by the full House. The House can then refer the recommendation to the Justice Department, which would ultimately decide whether the president’s son should be criminally charged.

Hunter Biden’s legal team had pushed back on the committee’s request to appear behind closed doors, saying their client was only willing to answer questions in a public setting. When the committee last week announced its intention to mark up the contempt resolution, Abbe Lowell, Hunter Biden’s attorney, said his client was not in contempt because he had offered to testify in public: “It’s clear the Republican Chairmen aren’t interested in getting the facts or they would allow Hunter to testify publicly. Instead, House Republicans continue to play politics by seeking an unprecedented contempt motion against someone who has from the first request offered to answer all their proper questions. What are they afraid of?”

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At least 11 people were injured Monday following a possible gas explosion at a downtown Fort Worth hotel, according to the fire department. The first call came in at 3:32 p.m., followed by multiple calls reporting a “type of explosion” at the Sandman Hotel, located at 810 Houston St., according to the Fort Worth Fire Department.

There are as many as 11 injured; 1 person is said to be in critical condition, 2 in serious condition and the rest suffered minor injuries. 1 person is still missing. Although the area smelled like gas following the explosion, the initial cause is still under investigation, said Craig Trojacek, the public information officer for the FWFD: “There is a smell of gas here in downtown. We’re not sure if the smell of gas was caused from the explosion or the fire itself, or if that’s what caused the explosion.”

Fire crews said that they are investigating to see if the incident began in the Asian restaurant Musume inside of the hotel. A statement from the restaurant’s founder, Josh Babb, says that the Musume was closed during the time of the explosion and that no customers were inside dining at the time of the explosion; however, three Musume employees were among the injured.

Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker posted a statement saying that every Fort Worth emergency response is on hand to respond, with police asking people in the area to avoid the downtown area.

Editorial credit: Copyright Lawrey / Shutterstock.com