Hunter Biden’s attorney visited the White House only days before the first son staged a press conference in defiance of a congressional subpoena.
Abbe D. Lowell, Hunter Biden’s attorney, attended an event at the White House on December 11, two days before Hunter Biden defied a congressional subpoena compelling him to testify at a closed-door deposition, White House visitor logs show. The newly released logs were first reported by the New York Post.
Lowell is listed on the logs as visiting the East Wing alongside nearly 800 other people. A separate entry indicates Lowell met with top Jill Biden aide Anthony Bernal on the same day as the event.
The White House told National Review Lowell attended a Hanukkah reception and the Bernal entry was listed because Lowell re-submitted the necessary entrance form to attend the Hanukkah event. National Review has reached out to Lowell for comment.
Hunter Biden stood outside the Capitol building on December 13 and defended his father instead of complying with a congressional subpoena for his testimony. He demanded House Republicans hold a public hearing instead of bringing him in for a private session. Later that day, House Republicans formalized the impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden focusing primarily on his son’s foreign business dealings.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre admitted on December 13 President Biden was familiar with the statement Hunter Biden delivered at the press conference.
“Look, you know, the President was certainly familiar with what his son was going to say,” Jean-Pierre said, raising the question of whether the White House coordinated with Hunter Biden’s team. Two people familiar with the matter told Politico Hunter Biden notified his father of his plans.
House Republicans have accused Bernal of accessing classified materials at the Penn Biden Center in June 2022. Special counsel Robert Hur investigated President Biden’s handling of classified materials and found evidence he “willfully” retained classified documents after his vice presidency.
In February, Hunter Biden testified behind closed-doors after House Republicans issued another subpoena once the impeachment inquiry became official. He repeatedly denied Joe Biden’s involvement in his lucrative foreign business dealings, but he did confirm Joe Biden met his business partners and spoke to them over speakerphone.
Hunter Biden rejected last month House Republicans’ offer to have him testify publicly next to three of his former business associates. Devon Archer, one of the former business partners, also declined the offer to testify publicly.
“It’s curious timing that Hunter Biden’s attorney met with a White House official just two days before the President’s son defied congressional subpoenas requiring him to appear for a deposition,” House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R., Ky.) said in a statement to NR.
“We’ve called on the White House to provide information about whether President Biden sought to influence or obstruct our investigation by preventing, discouraging, or dissuading his son from complying with the subpoenas for a deposition as part of the House of Representatives’ impeachment inquiry, but the White House has refused to provide any information.”