Republicans insist on impeaching Hunter Biden, saying public hearing will have to wait
Republicans in the House of Representatives on Friday demanded that Hunter Biden, the president’s son, make a closed-door statement in their impeachment inquiry into his father, rejecting his request to testify only in public and suggesting he would be punished could be if he did not agree to their terms. .
In a letterRepresentatives James R. Comer of Kentucky, chairman of the Oversight Committee, and Jim Jordan of Ohio, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said they looked forward to Mr. Biden making public appearances “at the right time.” But they said his request to skip a private statement and go straight to testimony in open court amounted to a “demand that he receive special treatment.”
“The subpoenas Mr. Biden has received compel him to appear before the committees for a deposition,” they added. “They are not mere suggestions open to Mr. Biden’s interpretation or preference.”
Mr. Comer has suggested that Republicans in the House of Representatives could seek to have Congress’ charges against Mr. Biden in contempt if he fails to comply with a congressional subpoena.
Republicans in the House of Representatives have been working for months to build an impeachment case against President Biden, seeking evidence to support their allegations that he corruptly profited from his family members’ foreign business dealings and accepted bribes. So far, they have failed to provide compelling evidence to support their boldest claims.
Their investigation has focused heavily on Hunter Biden’s work for companies and partners in Ukraine, China and other countries, and they have demanded that he testify under subpoena.
The younger Biden told Republicans this week that he would be willing to testify — but only in public so Republicans couldn’t distort or selectively leak what he says. In a letter to Congress, Mr. Biden’s lawyer, Abbe D. Lowell, criticized the Republican investigation as a “partisan crusade” and said Mr. Comer “has used closed-door sessions to manipulate, even distort, the facts and misinforming the public. .”
Mr. Lowell suggested that Mr. Biden appear at a public hearing on Dec. 13.
“If, as you claim, your efforts are important and concern issues that Americans should know about, please shine a light on this proceeding,” Mr. Lowell wrote.
But Republicans quickly rejected that offer, arguing that Biden should first testify behind closed doors, as other witnesses have done. In Friday’s letter, GOP committee leaders wrote that, “if it helps address your expressed concerns,” they planned to videotape the interview and release a transcript afterward.
Lawmakers also pushed back on arguments that their investigation was not legitimate. They claimed they had a “valid legislative purpose” for their investigation into the Bidens, including research to inform “potential legislative reforms related to federal ethics and financial disclosure laws.” They also said they were evaluating evidence they had received so far showing that “President Biden was aware of at least some of his family’s business ventures and attempted to influence potential business deals that his family benefited financially.”
If Mr. Biden were to testify before House panels, he would be taking risks. He is the subject of a federal criminal investigation now led by a special prosecutor, and he is charged with lying about his drug use on a federal form he filled out in 2018 to purchase a gun. Any testimony he gives to Congress could be used against him.
A spokeswoman for Hunter Biden declined to comment.
Democrats on Friday criticized the Republican investigation as nothing more than a political stunt.
“I have difficulty calling House Republicans’ fishing expedition an investigation when it was conducted without any investigation whatsoever,” said Representative Richard E. Neal of Massachusetts, the top Democrat on the Ways and Means Committee. “It’s been almost a year since debunked conspiracy theories were recycled in the hope that the public would believe their lies.”