Democratic members of the House of Representatives set up a surprise appearance by Hunter Biden and his lawyers on 10 January during a session of the Oversight Committee was set to approve a resolution to hold the president’s son in contempt of Congress.

Hunter Biden sat in the front staring icily at the lawmakers as they passed the motion. The resolution will then go to the House floor for a vote by the whole chamber, presumably next week.

Hunter Biden had twice refused to attend a closed-door meeting to testify about the role played by his father, Joe Biden, in his business interests abroad.

The day after, 11 January, Hunter Biden appeared in the Los Angeles federal court on charges of tax evasion and filing false tax returns for four years.

The tax charges – three felonies and six misdemeanors – could cost him up to 17 years in prison. The trial date is set for June 20.

According to the indictment: “The defendant received more than $1.2 million in financial support that was used to pay various personal expenses, including some of his federal income tax debts for 2016-2019. Between 2016 and 15 October 2020, the defendant spent this money on drugs, escorts and girlfriends, luxury hotels and rental properties, exotic cars and other personal items, in short, on everything except paying his taxes.”