Video | Hunter Biden abruptly walks out of contempt hearing as Marjorie Taylor Greene starts speaking

United States President Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden abruptly walked out of his contempt hearing at Capitol Hill on Wednesday (Jan 10), as soon as Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene stood up to question him.

At a US House of Representatives hearing, the Republican lawmakers were pushing for a vote to hold Hunter in contempt of Congress for not testifying in their impeachment inquiry targeting his father.

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House Republicans have alleged that Joe Biden and his family improperly profited from policy actions in which Biden participated when he was vice president in2009-2017.

TheHouse Oversight and Judiciary Committees advanced resolutions recommending that Hunterbe held in criminal contempt of Congress, sending the matter to full House.

According to a report by the news agency Reuters, Hunter entered the hearing without speaking to the media, and sat quietly in the gallery with his lawyer, causing pandemonium, with members of the House Oversight Committee arguing with each other and scolding him for the surprise. He left before the vote on the resolution.

As Hunter was exiting, a man yelled out“What kind of crack do you normally smoke, MrBiden?”

"We plan to question Hunter Biden about this record of evidence during our deposition, but he blatantly defied two lawful subpoenas," Committee chairperson James Comer said.

"Hunter Biden's willful refusal to comply with the committee subpoenas is a criminal act. It constitutes contempt of Congress and warrants referral to the appropriate United States Attorney's Office for prosecution, as prescribed by the law. We will not provide Hunter Biden with special treatment because of his last name."

'You're the epitome of white privilege'

US Representative Nancy Mace (a Republican) slammed Hunter's surprise appearance at the hearing by saying that he was the "epitome of white privilege."

"You are the epitome of white privilege -- coming into the Oversight Committee, spitting in our face, ignoring a congressional subpoena to be deposed. What are you afraid of? You have no balls to come up here!" Mace added.

Representative Jared Moskowitz (also a Republican) said,"The witness accepted the chairman's invitation. It just so happens the witness is here. If the committee wants to hear from the witness and the chairman gave the witness that option, then the only folks that are afraid to hear from the witness with the American people watching, are my friends on the other side of the aisle.

"I don't know if there's a proper motion, Mr. Chairman, but I'll make a motion. Let's vote. Let's take a vote. Who wants to hear from Hunter right now, today?"

Hunter's lawyer Abbe Lowell slammed Republican chairs for commandeering an unprecedented resolution to hold someone in contempt who has offered to publicly answer all their proper questions.

"Last year Chairman Comer made an explicit offer that people like Hunter and others like him have the option to attend the deposition or a public hearing - whichever they chose," Lowell said.

"Hunter chose a hearing where Republicans could not distort, manipulate, or misuse that testimony honour and then ignoring that invitation and proving once again that they cared little about the truth and wanted only to, quote, 'move the needle of political support', which was a quote Chairman Comer confessed was his true purpose," he added.

(With inputs from agencies)