It’s true what they say about “birds of a feather,” and you can see that from the people coming to the rescue of Hunter Biden.
Politico reported Wednesday that the son of President Joe Biden had a little help getting the right spot for his dramatic news conference Wednesday in a spot known as the “Senate Swamp,” which is often reserved for news conferences.
The site was mere feet away from where Hunter was subpoenaed to testify privately before the House Judiciary Committee in a closed-door deposition, which he defied.
Since Biden was speaking on the Senate side, he avoided being arrested as the “House Sergeant at Arms could not take action against Hunter Biden for being out of compliance with the Oversight Committee subpoena,” Fox News correspondent Chad Pergram said on social media.
3) But since Hunter Biden appeared on the SENATE side, the HOUSE Sergeant at Arms could not take action against Hunter Biden for being out of compliance with the Oversight Committee subpoena
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) December 13, 2023
The Washington Examiner’s Ashley Oliver reported that it was California Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell who reserved the event space, just feet from the Capitol, for Biden’s remarks.
It seems Rep. Eric Swalwell reserved the spot for Hunter Biden’s press conference today pic.twitter.com/547Ku0oOKC
— Ashley Oliver (@asholiver) December 13, 2023
Swalwell confirmed to Politico that he was responsible for the move, which caught Republicans off-guard.
Should Hunter Biden be charged with contempt of Congress?
GOP Rep. Darrell Issa of California accused his Democratic colleague of “aiding and abetting contempt” of Congress, according to the Washington Examiner.
Issa sent a letter to leaders of the House Ethics and House Administration committees about Swalwell’s actions, which he told the U.K.’s Daily Mail were “at minimum an ethics violation.”
“By all appearances and reporting, the media space reservation by Congressman Swalwell — a member of the Judiciary Committee — was intended solely to allow Hunter Biden to fail to appear before these committees, publicly announce his refusal to comply with a dually-issued subpoena, and be in contempt of Congress,” the congressman’s letter said.
Swalwell went all in with his support of the president’s son.
“There is absolutely zero evidence Hunter or his father acted corruptly,” he told reporters — a claim contradicted by House Republicans. “So I’m not going to sit quietly and let MAGA Republicans do Trump’s bidding in Congress.”
It shouldn’t be surprising that the congressman would come to the aid of a kindred spirit like Hunter Biden.
In January, Swalwell lost his place on the House Intelligence Committee over his reported involvement with suspected Chinese spy Christine Fang.
However, he remains on the House Judiciary Committee — the very committee investigating Hunter Biden — which makes his behavior even more outrageous.
In his appearance outside the Capitol on Wednesday, Biden — with Swalwell standing nearby — acknowledged making “mistakes” but said his father had no “financial stake” in his ventures.
Why did Hunter Biden bring disgraced Democrat Rep. Eric Swalwell (left) with him to his press conference? pic.twitter.com/GadEXY54Cs
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) December 13, 2023
He also claimed the “MAGA right” has taken advantage of his mistakes for “political purposes.”
“I’m here today to make sure that the House committees’ illegitimate investigations of my family do not proceed on distortions, manipulated evidence and lies,” the president’s son told reporters.
“They have tried to dehumanize me, all to embarrass and damage my father,” Biden said.
After his comments, he left the venue without appearing before the committee.
Swalwell defended his actions to Politico in a notably similar tone to Biden’s, telling the outlet that the president’s son is “a recovering addict who has admitted his mistakes and has been clean for many years” and that former President Donald Trump “has directed MAGA Republicans to weaponize Hunter’s past addiction to attack President Biden, someone Trump and House Republicans won’t acknowledge won the 2020 election.”
Republicans contend that Hunter Biden wants to play the victim by pleading his case before the media.
Rep. Gary Palmer of Alabama, chairman of the GOP Policy Committee, told the Daily Mail that Biden wants to use a public presentation “for theater to get his talking points and his narrative out instead of going in private with his attorneys and the House of Representatives to ask him some very direct questions.”
Republicans have started contempt proceedings against the president’s son for defying the subpoena.
Swalwell’s career highlights now include having an alleged sexual affair with a professional honeytrap artist and now playing wingman and “aiding and abetting” the confessed sex-addict son of the president to evade a lawful deposition.
When you start to “drain the swamp,” you really start to see what has been living in it.
