(WASHINGTON) — Republican Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer is planning to issue multiple subpoenas aimed at President Joe Biden’s family, which are expected to start being issued as soon as Wednesday, sources tell ABC News.
The move would mark an attempt by Republicans to ramp up their impeachment inquiry into President Biden, which had faced delays during the weeks-long House speaker dispute.
Newly installed House Speaker Mike Johnson has said Republicans will “follow the evidence” when asked if the inquiry is heading toward impeaching President Biden. Johnson has also defended the prospects of subpoenaing Hunter Biden, telling Fox News that “desperate times call for desperate measures and that perhaps is overdue,” but a final decision had not been made.
The first hearing of the Republican-led impeachment inquiry into President Biden took place Sept. 28 and was dominated by contentious moments between Republicans and Democrats, but offered no new evidence.
The proceeding, which stretched for more than six hours, provided House Republicans the opportunity to lay out the various allegations they’ve already levied about the Biden family and their business dealings over the past nine months.
Several of the witnesses, including two witnesses called by Republicans, told the committee there wasn’t enough evidence yet to warrant impeaching President Biden.
Members on the committee also fiercely debated whether an inquiry was necessary, with Democrats pointing to an apparent lack of direct evidence implicating President Biden and Republicans arguing more investigation is needed.
As the September hearing ended, Comer had announced he would issue a subpoena to the president’s son and brother’s bank records “today.” Top Republicans, Comer included, had been threatening the move for months. They have said they believe the bank documents could provide smoking gun evidence so far missing in the case.
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