If contempt of Congress is a crime, then did Eric Swalwell commit a crime in aiding and abetting Hunter Biden who refused to honor a subpoena to testify behind closed doors on December 13th as Swalwell attended and assisted Hunter Biden in doing so? After all, Swalwell set up the press conference in which Hunter defied the House Judici8ary committee of which Swalwell is a member. Do the Republicans have to convict Hunter before they vote on tossing Swalwell out of office?
Aiding and abetting a crime is in itself a crime. A felony or a misdemeanor is required to toss a member out of the House. But, if you remember, Santos was removed from the House before he was convicted of a crime, so why not Swalwell? And if charging him with aiding and abetting doesn’t work, how about Section 1512(c)(2)? The DOJ is using that to send J6 defendants to prison for 20 years. That section deals with witness tampering which none of the J6ers have been charged with, but Swalwell likely did commit.
Rep James Comer said:
“Hunter Biden today defied lawful subpoenas and we will now initiate contempt of Congress proceedings. We will not provide special treatment because his last name is Biden. As our committees were today prepared to depose Hunter Biden, he chose to make a public statement on Capitol Hill instead where he said his father, Joe Biden was not financially involved in his family’s business dealings. Exactly how was Joe Biden involved? Evidence shows Joe Biden met with Hunter’s business associates and his name was at the center of the family business strategy.”
Rep James Comer and Rep Jim Jordan will be initiating contempt proceedings against Hunter. If you remember Peter Navarro and Steve Bannon were charged and convicted of contempt for not appearing before the unconstitutional J6 Committee.
Investigative Reporter Paul Sperry noted that Swalwell could be charged with aiding and abetting Hunter Biden:
VISIT OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL“House sources say that Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell–as a member of the Judiciary Committee, which subpoenaed Hunter Biden–“aided and abetted” a crime this morning when he worked with Hunter’s lawyer Abbe Lowell to help Hunter flout the subpoena in contempt of Congress.”
BREAKING: House sources say that Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell–as a member of the Judiciary Committee,which subpoenaed Hunter Biden–"aided and abetted" a crime this morning when he worked with Hunter's lawyer Abbe Lowell to help Hunter flout the subpoena in contempt of Congress
— Paul Sperry (@paulsperry_) December 13, 2023
According to the letter sent by Rep. James Coomer and Rep. Jim Jordan, “Contrary to the assertions in your letter, there is no “choice” for Mr. Biden to make; the subpoenas compel him to appear for a deposition on December 13. If Mr. Biden does not appear for his deposition on December 13, 2023, the Committees will initiate contempt of Congress proceedings.”
According to the United States Code, “Under 2 U.S.C. § 192, it is a misdemeanor criminal offense to “willfully” fail to comply with a valid congressional subpoena for either documents or testimony “upon any matter under inquiry before either House . . . or any committee of either House of Congress.” Whereas the House and Senate originally used their own legislative powers to enforce subpoenas, Congress chose to criminalize subpoena noncompliance in 1857. By the 1930s, both chambers were relying on criminal contempt as a chief method of subpoena enforcement.”
Violation can lead to a fine of up to $100,000 and imprisonment for up to one year.
Swalwell’s involvement could potentially place him within the scope of these legal recourses, which have been the principal avenue for ensuring compliance with legislative inquiries.
