Hunter Biden has declined an invitation to testify next week in a public hearing before the House Oversight Committee, according to a letter from Hunter Biden’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, sent to Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), the panel’s chairman.
Cut through the 2024 election noise. Get The Campaign Moment newsletter.
In a statement Wednesday, Comer complained that Hunter Biden has “for months stated he wanted a public hearing, but now that one has been offered alongside his business associates that he worked with for years, he is refusing to come.”
Biden appeared before the House Oversight and Judiciary committees last month in a closed-door deposition after weeks of back-and-forth with Republicans over his offer to appear for public testimony or a public deposition instead.
When he did appear for the closed-door deposition, the president’s son sharply rebutted allegations that his father was involved with his business ventures. Testifying for nearly seven hours, Hunter Biden said that his father did not receive money or benefit financially from any of his business ventures, according to a transcript of his appearance.
ADVERTISING
After that closed-door meeting, Comer said the next step of an ongoing impeachment inquiry into President Biden would be a public hearing.
Follow Election 2024
In the letter to Comer, Lowell argued that the younger Biden had answered every question Republicans had for him in the deposition, and he said the public hearing “is not a serious oversight proceeding."
“It is your attempt to resuscitate your Conference’s moribund inquiry with a made-for-right-wing-media, circus act,” Lowell wrote.
House Republicans have long struggled to prove that President Biden benefited improperly from his family’s businesses as part of an impeachment inquiry into the president. Even some members of their conference have expressed skepticism about the inquiry.
During his closed-door deposition, Hunter Biden testified that he never introduced or involved his father in his business dealings with a Chinese energy firm he worked with in 2017. He also defended his tightknit relationship with his father and unequivocally stated that he never called his father on behalf of his clients.
While Lowell, in the Wednesday letter to Comer, said Hunter Biden can’t attend the hearing because of a court hearing the next day in California, he noted that the scheduling conflict “is the least of the issues" they have with the invitation.
“Your blatant planned-for-media event is not a proper proceeding but an obvious attempt to throw a Hail Mary pass after the game has ended,” Lowell wrote. He then cited Comer, who on Jan. 10 said that all the committee needed was for “people to show up to the depositions and we’ll wrap this up.”
“Mr. Biden did just as you asked,” Lowell said.
Comer, in a Wednesday statement, argued that, during the deposition, Hunter Biden “confirmed key evidence” but that some of his testimony contradicts the testimonies of his former associates Devon Archer, Jason Galanis, and Tony Bobulinski.
“Next week’s hearing with Hunter Biden and his associates is moving forward and we fully expect Hunter Biden to participate,” Comer said.
Cut through the 2024 election noise. Get The Campaign Moment newsletter.
In a statement Wednesday, Comer complained that Hunter Biden has “for months stated he wanted a public hearing, but now that one has been offered alongside his business associates that he worked with for years, he is refusing to come.”
Biden appeared before the House Oversight and Judiciary committees last month in a closed-door deposition after weeks of back-and-forth with Republicans over his offer to appear for public testimony or a public deposition instead.
When he did appear for the closed-door deposition, the president’s son sharply rebutted allegations that his father was involved with his business ventures. Testifying for nearly seven hours, Hunter Biden said that his father did not receive money or benefit financially from any of his business ventures, according to a transcript of his appearance.
ADVERTISING
After that closed-door meeting, Comer said the next step of an ongoing impeachment inquiry into President Biden would be a public hearing.
Follow Election 2024
In the letter to Comer, Lowell argued that the younger Biden had answered every question Republicans had for him in the deposition, and he said the public hearing “is not a serious oversight proceeding."
“It is your attempt to resuscitate your Conference’s moribund inquiry with a made-for-right-wing-media, circus act,” Lowell wrote.
House Republicans have long struggled to prove that President Biden benefited improperly from his family’s businesses as part of an impeachment inquiry into the president. Even some members of their conference have expressed skepticism about the inquiry.
During his closed-door deposition, Hunter Biden testified that he never introduced or involved his father in his business dealings with a Chinese energy firm he worked with in 2017. He also defended his tightknit relationship with his father and unequivocally stated that he never called his father on behalf of his clients.
While Lowell, in the Wednesday letter to Comer, said Hunter Biden can’t attend the hearing because of a court hearing the next day in California, he noted that the scheduling conflict “is the least of the issues" they have with the invitation.
“Your blatant planned-for-media event is not a proper proceeding but an obvious attempt to throw a Hail Mary pass after the game has ended,” Lowell wrote. He then cited Comer, who on Jan. 10 said that all the committee needed was for “people to show up to the depositions and we’ll wrap this up.”
“Mr. Biden did just as you asked,” Lowell said.
Comer, in a Wednesday statement, argued that, during the deposition, Hunter Biden “confirmed key evidence” but that some of his testimony contradicts the testimonies of his former associates Devon Archer, Jason Galanis, and Tony Bobulinski.
“Next week’s hearing with Hunter Biden and his associates is moving forward and we fully expect Hunter Biden to participate,” Comer said.
