Hunter Biden appeared Wednesday on Capitol Hill for a closed-door deposition with lawmakers, a critical moment for Republicans in their impeachment inquiry into his father and the family's business. "I am here today to provide the committees with the one uncontestable fact that should end the false premise of this inquiry: I did not involve my father in my business," Hunter Biden said in an opening statement obtained by the AP. The deposition could mark a decisive point for the 14-month Republican investigation into the Biden family, which has centered on Hunter Biden and his overseas work for clients in Ukraine, China, Romania, and other countries. Republicans have long questioned whether those business dealings involved corruption and influence peddling by President Biden, particularly when he was vice president.
Despite the stakes of their investigation, it remains unclear how much useful information Republicans will be able to extract from Hunter Biden during the deposition. He's under federal investigation and has been indicted on nine federal tax charges and a firearm charge in Delaware, which means he could refuse to answer some questions by asserting his Fifth Amendment rights. The task of interviewing Hunter Biden falls primarily to Reps. James Comer and Jim Jordan, the GOP chairmen leading the impeachment investigation. After much consternation about whether the interview would be public or behind closed doors, it was decided it will not be filmed, and Republicans have agreed to quickly release the transcript.
"Our committees have the opportunity to depose Hunter Biden, a key witness in our impeachment inquiry of President Joe Biden, about this record of evidence," Comer, chair of the House Oversight Committee, said in a statement. "This deposition is not the conclusion of the impeachment inquiry. There are more subpoenas and witness interviews to come." Many GOP lawmakers say they have yet to see evidence of the "high crimes and misdemeanors" required for impeachment, despite alleged efforts by members of the Biden family to leverage the last name into corporate paydays domestically and abroad.
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