Hunter Biden could return to testify before Congress next year even after his father, President Joe Biden, pardoned him of federal crimes, according to Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-KY). 

It’s unclear whether House Republicans will continue investigations into the Biden family when they continue their majority next Congress, but Comer did not close the door to that possibility when asked on Wednesday. But whether the president’s son will return to Capitol Hill for testimony will ultimately be up to the next attorney general, Comer said. 

“Yes,” Comer told the Washington Examiner when asked if he would have conversations with the next attorney general to orchestrate further testimony. 

“If [the attorney general] wants to pursue justice and she wants our assistance, then we’ll help,” Comer said. “But you know, we’ve done the investigation. Obviously, there were a multitude of financial crimes committed. What he was charged on was just the tip of the iceberg. That’s why the pardon was so broad.”

The House Oversight and Judiciary Committees spent two years investigating the Biden family in an attempt to impeach President Joe Biden. The report was released earlier this year with little fanfare after lawmakers failed to uncover definitive evidence tying Joe Biden to criminal activity or any misconduct that constitutes a high crime or misdemeanor.

Members of the Judiciary Committee have indicated they want to bring Hunter Biden back for more testimony, noting that lawmakers could get information they did not have previously. 

Because of the pardon, Hunter Biden could be restricted in invoking his Fifth Amendment rights as he no longer faces criminal repercussions for federal crimes committed during the period covered in his pardon. 

“Thanks to his father’s pardon, Hunter Biden has waived his Fifth Amendment protections,” Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), who sits on the Judiciary Committee, said in a post on X. “I look forward to bringing Hunter back in — under oath — to get some real answers from him. He can run from the truth, but he can’t hide forever.”

Joe Biden announced over the weekend he had pardoned his son from all crimes “he has committed or may have committed” over the last 11 years. That decision prompted outrage from Republicans and even some Democrats, who called the pardon a misuse of power. 

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House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) criticized the pardon in a press conference on Wednesday, hinting at future “reform on the way” to avoid similar instances in the future. 

“This pardon is a perversion of justice, and it is an utter disregard for the rule of law,” Johnson said. “It further undermines the people’s faith in our system of justice.”