Reporters caught sight of Hunter Biden exiting Marine One at the White House on Tuesday, less than a week after President Joe Biden‘s son defied a congressional subpoena in the GOP-led House’s impeachment inquiry.
The sighting came as a surprise as the list of people traveling with President Biden from Delaware back to Washington, D.C., that was provided to the press made no mention of Hunter Biden, who reportedly exited the helicopter accompanying one of his young children, Beau Jr.
Journalists peppered White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre with questions about the trip during a briefing that took place soon after the president returned to the White House.
Jean-Pierre said she had to “double check” why Biden family members were not included on the list, but noted how President Biden and his relatives gathered over the weekend in Delaware to mark on Monday the 51 years since his first wife Neilia and baby daughter Naomi died in a car accident.
Karine Jean-Pierre says she has to "double check" to see why Hunter Biden was not included on the list of individuals who traveled aboard Marine One back to the White House today pic.twitter.com/PLPndkOlVz
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) December 19, 2023
Asked if the White House will announce Hunter Biden’s presence on Marine One moving forward, Jean-Pierre said that such a disclosure would not happen. Pressed on whether President Biden thinks it is appropriate to use taxpayer dollars to fly with Hunter Biden, considering his legal troubles, the White House spokeswoman emphasized how the commander in chief and first lady Jill Biden “love their son.”
Hunter Biden was subpoenaed last month to appear for a deposition as part of the corruption-focused impeachment probe into his father, which is looking at the Biden family’s business dealings, as well as how the Department of Justice has handled its criminal investigation into Hunter Biden that could lead to prison time.
The First Son did show up on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, when his deposition was scheduled to take place, and used the opportunity to publicly demand House Republicans provide him a public hearing instead of a closed-door interview.
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Jean-Pierre previously told reporters that President Biden was “familiar” with what Hunter Biden was going to say at his press event, but declined to offer any more details when pressed on whether the commander in chief tried to talk his son out of violating a congressional subpoena.
House Republicans indicated they were willing to have Hunter Biden testify in a public hearing — but only after a deposition — and said Hunter Biden would face contempt of Congress proceedings following his show of defiance. Shortly after the first son’s press event, the House elected to formally authorize the impeachment inquiry in a party-line vote that Republicans argued would give legal weight to their subpoenas.