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Hunter Biden’s trip to Congress shows split between his team, White House
Hunter Biden’s trip to Capitol Hill this week is shining a bright light on how Hunter Biden’s approach to the GOP investigations into his business dealings is independent of the White House.
President Biden’s son has made two surprise visits to Capitol Hill in the last month, showing that he wants to defend himself — in his own words — without coordinating with the White House.
White House officials didn’t know the younger Biden was going to make an appearance Wednesday in a hearing of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee while members weighed whether to hold him in contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena last month. A source familiar told The Hill that “no one” at the White House “was notified or advising Hunter” before the move.
Sources tell The Hill it’s not surprising White House officials wouldn’t have known in advance, and described that while the president and first lady have a close and transparent relationship with their son, he does not seek advice from White House staff.
A Democrat close to the White House described Hunter Biden’s opinion of the public relations people around his father as “very low.”
“Can you blame Hunter for not taking communications advice from this group?” the Democrat said, noting that Biden’s press team has been in place while the president’s approval rating and public opinion of him has been consistently and historically low.
Following Hunter Biden’s visit to the hearing, Republicans advanced the resolution to hold him in contempt of Congress. On Friday, he said he would accept a new subpoena and give testimony to Congress.
His lawyer, Abbe Lowell, shared the decision in a letter to Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) and Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), two Republicans who have led the investigations into the Biden family. In the letter, Lowell floated a “public deposition/hearing with alternating rounds of questions for Republicans and Democrats, and with similar rules (e.g., role of counsel in questioning), as is done in a closed-door deposition.”
Comer and Jordan said in response that they plan to move forward with holding the younger Biden in contempt of Congress.
A former White House staffer offered a different description of the split between the president’s team and Hunter Biden’s team, arguing the White House advising him would be “weird.”
“I didn’t get the sense that there was a rift, but our whole message was, ‘He’s a private citizen,’ so it would have been slightly weird if the White House was advising him closely,” the source said.
Democrats on the Oversight Committee — including ranking member Jamie Raskin (Md.) — said they were not informed beforehand of Biden’s plans to sit in on the hearing.
But a number of those lawmakers hailed his visit, saying it was an effective strategy for undercutting the Republicans’ argument that he’s unwilling to cooperate with their investigations.
“I thought it was a little stroke of genius. … It completely undermined the Republican argument that he is defying a subpoena. He’s right there in front of you, ready to be sworn in and testify,” said Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.). “The visual was powerful, and it clearly disrupted whatever chain of narrative they thought they had.”
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre wouldn’t say Wednesday whether the president was informed that the younger Biden would be making his surprise visit to Capitol Hill. She said in December that the president was “familiar” with what his son planned to say when he spoke to the press outside the Capitol at the time.
A former administration communications staffer described Hunter Biden’s team and the White House team as “wholly separate.”
“The press office was as separate as it could be, practically,” the source said.
When pressed on if it was frustrating for press aides to not have a say about what Hunter Biden did, the source added, “It’s just the way it was, because that’s how the president and team operates — with appropriate firewalls.”
The White House did not respond to questions about coordination with Hunter Biden’s team and claims on his opinion of the press shop.
The Judiciary and Oversight committees issued subpoenas for Biden in November, and the House formally voted to authorize the impeachment inquiry into the president in December. That followed months of probes into the Biden family’s foreign business dealings and how the Department of Justice handled a tax crimes investigation into Hunter Biden.
Democrats this week were quick to note that Comer, the Oversight chairman, had prevoiusly publicly offered Biden the option of testifying in any manner he chose.
“You, Mr. Comer, went on national television and said he can come in public or he can come in private, but he’s got to come. Well, he chose to go public, and now you’re reneging,” Connolly said. “That’s your problem, not his.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), another member of the Oversight panel, agreed.
“I actually thought it was a very savvy thing to do, because it just proves the point: He is here, he is showing up, he is willing to comply with the subpoena, [but] he wants to do so through public testimony,” she said.
But other Democrats were less sure of the potency of Biden’s strategy, with some questioning his decision to appear on Capitol Hill just one day before he was due to appear in court in Los Angeles to face criminal charges.
“I’ll tell you this: It’s not a strategy to get out of an indictment. Like, that’s a whole different problem,” said a Democrat on the committee, who spoke anonymously to discuss a sensitive topic. “If I were indicted … I would be worried about that — going to prison.”
The younger Biden has been more public in recent weeks, as the House Republicans have ramped up the impeachment inquiry into his father.
While Hunter Biden has been seen alongside his father throughout the administration — traveling on Air Force One, shopping in Nantucket, Mass., or at a state dinner — he rarely was heard from on his own until last month. Around the same time he spoke to press at the Capitol, he had spoken openly about Republican attacks against him and his father on a podcast hosted by his friend, the musician Moby.
His family is also firing back. On Thursday, first lady Jill Biden said the barrage of allegations against her son from Republicans have been have been “cruel,” and Hunter Biden’s daughter, Naomi, accused Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) of lying during the hearing that he attended.
The Bidens speaking out, while the White House is not, aligns with the lack of coordination on issues surrounding Hunter Biden.
Hunter Biden’s low opinion of the communications team around his father has been documented. He bashed those working for his father in texts to him that were made public in 2020.
“Well dad, I guess you were right … that it would all just go away like that genius Kate and the rest said it would,” he said, which has been taken as a sarcastic reference to former deputy campaign manager and White House communications director Kate Bedingfield.
And, when the White House is asked about Hunter Biden, spokespeople say they don’t speak for him.
“He’s a private citizen,” Jean-Pierre said Thursday. “He’s not a member of the White House. He doesn’t work here.”
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Bill Clinton to testify before House committee investigating Epstein links
Former president Bill Clinton is scheduled to give deposition Friday to a congressional committee investigating his links to Jeffrey Epstein, one day after Hillary Clinton testified before the committee and called the proceedings “partisan political theatre” and “an insult to the American people”.
During remarks before the House oversight committee, Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of state, insisted on Thursday that she had never met Epstein.
The former Democratic president, however, flew on Epstein’s private jet several times in the early 2000s but said he never visited his island.
Clinton, who engaged in an extramarital affair while president and has been accused of sexual misconduct by three women, also appears in a photo from the recently released files, in a hot tub with Epstein and a woman whose identity is redacted.
Clinton has denied the sexual misconduct claims and was not charged with any crimes. He also has not been accused of any wrongdoing connected to Epstein.
Epstein visited the White House at least 17 times during the early years of Clinton’s presidency, according to White House visitor records cited in news reports. Clinton said he cut ties with him around 2005, before the disgraced financier, who died from suicide in 2019, pleaded guilty to solicitation of a minor in Florida.
The House committee subpoenaed the Clintons in August. They initially refused to testify but agreed after Republicans threatened to hold them in contempt.
The Clintons asked for their depositions to be held publicly, with the former president stating that to do so behind closed doors would amount to a “kangaroo court”.
“Let’s stop the games + do this the right way: in a public hearing,” Clinton said on X earlier this month.
The committee’s chair, James Comer, did not grant their request, and the proceedings will be conducted behind closed doors with video to be released later.
On Thursday, Hillary Clinton’s proceedings were briefly halted after representative Lauren Boebert leaked an image of Clinton testifying.
During the full day deposition, Clinton said she had no information about Epstein and did not recall ever meeting him.
Before the deposition, Comer said it would be a long interview and that one with Bill Clinton would be “even longer”.
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Read Judge Schiltz’s Order
CASE 0:26-cv-00107-PJS-DLM
Doc. 12-1 Filed 02/26/26
Page 5 of 17
and to file a status update by 11:00 am on January 20. ECF No. 5. Respondents never provided a bond hearing and did not release Petitioner until January 21, ECF Nos. 10, 12, after failing to file an update, ECF No. 9. Further, Respondents released Petitioner subject to conditions despite the Court’s release order not providing for conditions. ECF Nos. 5, 12–13.
Abdi W. v. Trump, et al., Case No. 26-CV-00208 (KMM/SGE)
On January 21, 2026, the Court ordered Respondents, within 3 days, to either (a) complete Petitioner’s inspection and examination and file a notice confirming completion, or (b) release Petitioner immediately in Minnesota and confirm the date, time, and location of release. ECF No. 7. No notice was ever filed. The Court emailed counsel on January 27, 2026, at 10:39 am. No response was provided.
Adriana M.Y.M. v. David Easterwood, et al., Case No. 26-CV-213 (JWB/JFD)
On January 24, 2026, the Court ordered immediate release in Minnesota and ordered Respondents to confirm the time, date, and location of release, or anticipated release, within 48 hours. ECF No. 12. Respondent was not released until January 30, and Respondents never disclosed the time of release, instead describing it as “early this morning.” ECF No. 16.
Estefany J.S. v. Bondi, Case No. 26-CV-216 (JWB/SGE)
On January 13, 2026, at 10:59 am, the Court ordered Respondents to file a letter by 4:00 pm confirming Petitioner’s current location. ECF No. 8. After receiving no response, the Court ordered Respondents, at 5:11 pm, to immediately confirm Petitioner’s location and, by noon on January 14, file a memorandum explaining their failure to comply with the initial order. ECF No. 9. Respondents did not file the memorandum, requiring the Court to issue another order. ECF No. 12. On January 15, the Court ordered immediate release in Minnesota and required Respondents to confirm the time, date, and location of release within 48 hours. ECF No. 18. On January 20, having received no confirmation, the Court ordered Respondents to comply immediately. ECF No. 21. Respondents informed the Court that Petitioner was released in Minnesota on January 17, but did not specify the time. ECF No. 22.
5
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Chicagoans pay respects to Jesse Jackson as cross-country memorial services begin
James Hickman holds a photo montage of the late Rev. Jesse Jackson before a public visitation at Rainbow/PUSH Coalition in Chicago on Thursday.
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CHICAGO — A line of mourners streamed through a Chicago auditorium Thursday to pay final respects to the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. as cross-country memorial services began in the city the late civil rights leader called home.
The protege of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and two-time presidential candidate will lie in repose for two days at the headquarters of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition before events in Washington, D.C., and South Carolina, where he was born.
Family members wiped away tears as the casket was brought into the stately brick building. Flowers lined the sidewalks where people waiting to enter watched a large screen playing video excerpts of Jackson’s notable speeches. Some raised their fists in solidarity.
The casket with the Rev. Jesse Jackson arrives before a public visitation at Rainbow/PUSH Coalition in Chicago on Thursday.
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Inside, Jackson’s children, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Rev. Al Sharpton were among those who stood by the open casket to shake hands and hug those coming to view the body of Jackson, dressed in a suit and blue shirt and tie.
“The challenge for us is that we’ve got to make sure that all he lived for was not in vain,” Sharpton told reporters. “Dr. King’s dream and Jesse Jackson’s mission now falls on our shoulders. We’ve got to stand up and keep it going.”
The Rev. Al Sharpton speaks as Jesse Jackson Jr. listens after the public visitation for the Rev. Jesse Jackson at Rainbow/PUSH Coalition in Chicago on Thursday.
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Jackson died last week at age 84 after battling a rare neurological disorder that affected his mobility and ability to speak in his later years.
Remembrances have already poured in from around the globe, and several U.S. states, including Minnesota, Iowa and North Carolina, are flying flags at half-staff in his honor.
But perhaps nowhere has his death been felt as strongly as in the nation’s third-largest city, where Jackson lived for decades and raised his six children, including a son who is a congressman.
Bouquets have been left outside the family’s Tudor-style home on the city’s South Side for days. Public schools have offered condolences, and city trains have used digital screens to display Jackson’s portrait and his well-known mantra, “I am Somebody!”
People wait to enter the security checkpoint for the public visitation for the Rev. Jesse Jackson at Rainbow/PUSH Coalition in Chicago on Thursday.
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His causes, both in the United States and abroad, were countless: Advocating for the poor and underrepresented on issues including voting rights, job opportunities, education and health care. He scored diplomatic victories with world leaders, and through his Rainbow PUSH Coalition, he channeled cries for Black pride and self-determination into corporate boardrooms, pressuring executives to make America a more open and equitable society.


“We honor him, and his hard-earned legacy as a freedom fighter, philosopher, and faithful shepherd of his family and community here in Chicago,” the mayor said in a statement.
Next week, Jackson will lie in honor at the South Carolina Statehouse, followed by public services. According to Rainbow PUSH’s agenda, Gov. Henry McMaster is expected to deliver remarks; however, the governor’s office said Thursday that his participation wasn’t yet confirmed. Jackson spent his childhood and started his activism in South Carolina.
Details on services in Washington have not yet been made public. However, he will not lie in honor at the United States Capitol rotunda after a request for the commemoration was denied by the House Speaker Mike Johnson’s office.
The two weeks of events will wrap up next week with a large celebration of life gathering at a Chicago megachurch and finally, homegoing services at the headquarters of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.
Family members said the services will be open to all.
“Our family is overwhelmed and overjoyed by the amazing amount of support being offered by common, ordinary people who our father’s life has come into contact with,” his eldest son, Jesse Jackson Jr., said before the services began. “This is a unique opportunity to lay down some of the political rhetoric and to lay down some of the division that deeply divides our country and to reflect upon a man who brought people together.”
The family of the Rev. Jesse Jackson arrives as Yusep Jackson wipes his eyes before public visitation at Rainbow/PUSH Coalition in Chicago on Thursday.
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The services included prayers from some of the city’s most well-known religious leaders, including Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich. Mourners of all ages — from toddlers in strollers to elderly people in wheelchairs — came to pay respects.
Video clips of his appearances at news conferences, the campaign trail and even “Sesame Street” also played inside the auditorium.
Claudette Redic, a retiree who lives in Chicago, said her family has respected Jackson, from backing his presidential ambitions to her son getting a scholarship from a program Jackson championed.
“We have generations of support,” she said. “I’m hoping we continue.”
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