Ohio Republican Representative Jim Jordan was forced to shut down a press conference about Hunter Biden after Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene voiced conspiracy theories and asked a bizarre question about sex trafficking
House Republicans held a press conference following Hunter Biden's public statement in which he declared his refusal to comply with a subpoena issued by the GOP for a closed-door hearing and insisted he would testify publicly.
Greene disrupted the press interaction by speaking over her colleagues and announcing what she would have liked to ask President Joe Biden's son had he complied with the initial subpoena:
"I would like to have asked Hunter Biden about Mann Act violations and sex trafficking women across state lines!"
The Mann Act bars forms of human trafficking and was famously used to charge the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's procurer Ghislaine Maxwell with child sex trafficking and other offenses. Greene and other far-right Republicans have targeted Hunter Biden's finances and communications, saying he helped prostitutes cross state lines.
But Jordan wasn't having it, promptly uttering quick "thank yous" before ending the press junket, to which Greene responded:
“That would’ve been a good question, but you don’t seem to care about that."
You can watch what happened in the video below.
Greene's behavior was swiftly criticized.
Despite Hunter Biden's absence from the scheduled deposition following the subpoena, he delivered a public statement outside the Capitol, criticizing House Republicans for their continued investigations into him and his family.
In his statement, Hunter Biden condemned the continuous probes, citing instances where he believes House Republicans have shamelessly misrepresented his father's support for Ukraine and exploited personal matters for political ends.
He said:
“No matter how many times it is debunked, they continue to insist that my father’s support of Ukraine against Russia is the result of a nonexistent bribe."
"They displayed naked photos of me during an Oversight hearing. And they have taken the light of my dad’s love, the light of my dad’s love for me, and presented it as darkness. They have no shame."
House Republicans seek to compel Hunter Biden's testimony as part of an impeachment inquiry into President Biden. They plan to vote on authorizing this inquiry, a move they believe will strengthen their ability to enforce subpoenas in legal settings.
The anticipated vote, expected in the evening, faces a tight margin, with Speaker Mike Johnson struggling with a narrower majority and the need to avoid significant defections among Republican ranks.
Jane Rosenberg
Jane Rosenberg
@arianagrande/Instagram
@arianagrande/Instagram