Adam Kinzinger calls Jim Jordan a hypocrite in Hunter Biden fight, blasts GOP ‘fishing expedition’

WASHINGTON — Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., called Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, an “absolute hypocrite,” after Jordan threatened to hold Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress for skipping a closed-door deposition.

The House Oversight Committee sent a subpoena to Biden last month for him to testify before lawmakers on Wednesday about deals in Kazakhstan, Russia and Ukraine during a period when his father served as vice president.

However, Biden chose to ignore the subpoena and gave a rare public statement lashing out against Republican lawmakers. Jordan said lawyers for the House’s oversight and judiciary committees would explore a potential contempt citation against Biden, a process that can lead to prosecution.

The move comes after the Ohio Republican was subpoenaed by the former House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot but said he would not cooperate. Kinzinger in an interview with CNN pointed to Jordan’s decision and called him called a hypocrite.

“He’s for the sanctity of the subpoena by the US Congress until he’s the one that gets subpoenaed by the U.S. Congress,” Kinzinger said. “And he also voted against enforcing subpoenas against people like Steve Bannon and against people like Mark Meadows. I mean, this is – the hypocrisy is mind numbing.”

Hunter Biden has played a central role in House Republicans’ impeachment inquiry against President Joe Biden. Republicans allege Biden financially benefited from his family’s foreign business dealings but have yet to produce evidence directly implicating the president.

“It’s all about power and truth, and justice really has no role in what they’re doing. If you have evidence that Joe Biden, not Hunter Biden, but that Joe Biden broke the law, bring it forward,” Kinzinger added on Wednesday .

“And if it’s impeachable, impeach him. But you don’t have that evidence. So you go on a fishing expedition and all of a sudden you raise the flame of justice in Congress like you’re so concerned with the congressional subpoena when you were the one that ignored it the whole time.”

Contributing: Bart Jansen, Ken Tran

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Former GOP lawmaker calls Jim Jordan a hypocrite in Hunter Biden fight