Watch: Chaos in US Congress as Biden's Son Shows Up, Then Storms Out of Contempt Hearing

Hunter Biden made an unexpected appearance on Wednesday at a US House of Representatives hearing where Republican lawmakers were pushing for a vote to hold him in contempt of Congress for not testifying in their impeachment inquiry against his father, President Joe Biden.

Hunter entered the hearing without speaking to reporters, and sat quietly in the gallery, causing upheaval in the hearing, with members of the House Oversight Committee arguing with each other and scolding him for the surprise, according to Reuters.

‘You are too afraid’

“It does not matter who you are …. who your father is or your last name. Yes, I’m looking at you, Hunter Biden. You are not above the law,” Republican Representative Nancy Mace said. “Hunter Biden, you are too afraid to show up for a deposition. And you still are, today.”

House Republicans allege that Joe Biden and his family improperly profited from policy actions in which Biden participated when he was vice president from 2009-2017. The White House and Hunter Biden deny wrongdoing. Democratic Representative Jared Moskowitz asked why the committee would not take the 53-year-old Biden’s testimony then.

‘Let’s take a vote’

“The witness accepted the chairman’s invitation. It just so happens the witness is here,” Moskowitz said. “Let’s vote. Let’s take a vote. Who wants to hear from Hunter right now, today?” As Congresswoman Taylor Greene began to speak, the younger Biden left the hearing, prompting her to say “Excuse me, Hunter, apparently you are afraid of my words.” Hunter Biden’s lawyer Abbe Lowell told reporters outside that his client was the victim of a “political crusade.”

House Republicans had issued a subpoena for Hunter Biden to appear for a closed-door deposition last month as part of the inquiry. He said he would be willing to testify publicly, but lawmakers rebuffed that offer, saying he needed to submit to a private deposition in addition to any public testimony.

Hunter Biden appeared outside the Capitol on the day of the deposition and made public remarks, but did not appear for the closed-door interview. “Mr. Biden’s flagrant defiance of the Committees’ deposition subpoenas – while choosing to appear nearby on the Capitol grounds to read a prepared statement on the same matters – is contemptuous, and he must be held accountable,” the report stated.

The full House generally holds a vote to direct the certification of contempt to a US attorney after a committee holds its vote, according to the Congressional Research Service. According to the CRS, the House has held 10 people in contempt of Congress since 2008, but the Justice Department has sought the indictment of only two. There is no record of a sitting president’s family member being held in contempt of Congress.

(With agency inputs)