Congressional Republicans are split on whether to back Utah Sen. John Curtis’ request to subpoena Donald Trump Jr. and Hunter Biden, making it unclear if an investigation into potential misuses of presidential family access will proceed.
Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee have not committed to opening an investigation into conflicts of interest by the presidents’ sons for financial benefit, preferential treatment or special access to certain people. The request follows reports last week that Trump Jr. accepted a lavish wedding after-party as a gift from a Russian oligarch, raising concerns about foreign influence.
“I would really want to be clear — this is not anti-Donald Trump Jr.,” Curtis said on Wednesday. “It’s more of an opportunity to restore confidence in institutions and for him to explain to restore that confidence.”
Curtis sent a letter to Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, on Monday requesting an investigation and to issue subpoenas to both Trump Jr. and Biden. The Utah senator said he has not yet heard back from the committee chairman, and other senators who sit on the committee say they are still reviewing the request.
“I think the fact is that it takes time, and if you were going to ask me when you’re going to have a hearing, there’s no way I could answer that today,” Grassley said on Tuesday. “I’m going to take his request seriously and sit down with staff and see what we can do.”
The proposal has received mixed reviews from Republicans on Capitol Hill. While some senators on the committee say they would support the inquiry, it’s not clear if it has the support needed to begin. Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina both expressed support for the inquiry, but both are retiring in January.
“The biggest challenge we’re going to have here is time to get it done, or maybe something that would be the focus of the next Congress,” Tillis told reporters on Tuesday. “It’s got to start with an investigation. That’s a decision the chair will make.”
“If I were Donald Trump Jr. I’d be offering this up immediately. Just lay it out there,” Tillis added. “Maybe there’s some sort of context that explains it, but he should be proactive there. That’d be the best way to probably avoid an investigation.”
It’s not clear whether an investigation would be opened before the end of the year because of scheduling restraints, according to Grassley’s office. But it also remains unclear if an inquiry would be opened in the new Congress.
If Republicans maintain control of the Senate, Utah Sen. Mike Lee is next in line to chair the Judiciary Committee — and he hasn’t commented on whether he’d back an investigation into the matter. A spokesperson for Lee did not respond to a request for comment.
But if Democrats win control, it’s likely they’d grant Curtis’ request. Sen. Dick Durbin, the highest-ranking Democrat, has already signaled support.
“I was pleasantly surprised,” Durbin said on Wednesday. “It was a gutsy move on his part, and I think he made a strong case in his letter. I agree with him.”
But not all Republicans are happy that Trump Jr.’s personal life is being thrust into the spotlight — and some are even blaming Democrats for being behind the effort.
“Grassley has also spent years investigating Hunter Biden. Democrats didn’t lift a finger to help with that investigation. In fact, they actively sought to undermine it,” the Senate Judiciary Committee wrote in a statement. “Now they want hearings on the Trump family? Democrats can’t maintain any credibility when they pick and choose who to investigate based on politics.”
Other Republicans argue that Trump Jr., despite being the president’s son and a well-known conservative figure, is a private citizen whose affairs should not be subject to federal investigation.
“Don Jr is a private citizen and businessman. Like any other law-abiding American, he has the right to invest in companies,” Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, said in a statement. “Despite the baseless media attacks, there is no evidence that Don has ever sold access to the President, abused his relationship on behalf of his business partners, or broken any law.”
“I couldn’t care less who throws a private citizen a wedding after-party,” he added. “Subpoenas of presidential family members must pass a high bar. We can’t let the Senate become a partisan tool used to harass private citizens in pursuit of political points. Republicans must learn the lessons of the past, we can’t fall prey to Russiagate 2.0.”