Hunter Biden’s lawyers have told the House Oversight Committee that the president’s son is willing to testify on December 13 in their inquiry into his actions — but only if he can do so publicly, according to a letter Hunter Biden’s legal team sent to the committee.
Quick Read
- Public Testimony Offer: Hunter Biden’s lawyers informed the House Oversight Committee that he is willing to testify on December 13, but only if the testimony is conducted in a public setting.
- Concerns Over Closed-Door Sessions: The lawyers expressed concerns about closed-door sessions being used to manipulate or distort facts. They argue for transparency, suggesting that if the issues are as significant as claimed, they should be discussed openly.
- No Guarantee of Public Hearing: Despite the offer, a public hearing is not guaranteed. House committees have the authority to subpoena private individuals and entities, but it’s uncertain if the Republicans will agree to a public session.
- Subpoenas Issued to Biden Family Members: Earlier this month, the Republican-led committee subpoenaed both Hunter and James Biden (President Biden’s son and brother) as part of their investigation into the president’s potential impeachable offenses related to foreign business dealings.
- Focus of House Republicans: The subpoenas mark an escalated effort by House Republicans to investigate whether President Biden was involved in his family’s foreign business activities, aiming to conduct high-profile interviews before concluding their impeachment inquiry.
- Subpoena of Assistant US Attorney: The committee also subpoenaed an assistant U.S. attorney involved in Hunter’s criminal case following whistleblower allegations of political interference, which have been disputed by IRS officials and the special counsel investigating Hunter.
- Criticism of the Investigation: Hunter’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, labeled the investigation a “political stunt” filled with “discredited conspiracies.” He criticized the committee’s unsuccessful attempts to link Hunter’s business activities to his father.
- Unsubstantiated Corruption Allegations: Allegations of corruption by the Bidens remain uncorroborated, with attempts to connect President Biden to his son’s financial dealings in China and elsewhere not yielding substantive results.
- Counter-Proposal to Investigate Trump: Lowell suggested that the committee should instead investigate former President Donald Trump and his family’s business dealings.
- Comer’s Stance: House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer stated the need for Hunter Biden’s testimony to ascertain the extent of President Biden’s knowledge and involvement in his family’s alleged influence peddling schemes.
The Associated Press has the story:
Hunter Biden willing to testify on Capitol Hill in Dec., but only if conducted in public setting
Newslooks- (AP)
Hunter Biden’s lawyers have told the House Oversight Committee that the president’s son is willing to testify on December 13 in their inquiry into his actions — but only if he can do so publicly, according to a letter Hunter Biden’s legal team sent to the committee.
“We have seen you use closed-door sessions to manipulate, even distort the facts and misinform the public. We therefore propose opening the door. If, as you claim, your efforts are important and involve issues that Americans should know about, then let the light shine on these proceedings,” Hunter Biden’s lawyers wrote in the letter.
An offer to testify at a public hearing doesn’t guarantee it will happen. Federal courts have upheld the authority of House committees to subpoena private people and entities. House Republicans might find it hard to turn down an opportunity to grill Hunter Biden in front of a national audience -– but it would be deviation from how they’ve handled their oversight probes.
Earlier this month, the Republican-led committee subpoenaed Hunter and James Biden, President Joe Biden’s son and brother, setting up a highly anticipated showdown as House Republicans continue to search for whether the president committed an impeachable offense in connection to his family’s foreign business dealings – a high bar they have yet to meet.
The subpoenas were the first time the panel has directly subpoenaed members of the Biden family and come as House Republicans on the House Oversight and Judiciary committees are focusing on a list of high-profile interviews they want to conduct before wrapping up their impeachment inquiry into the president.
The oversight committee also subpoenaed an assistant US attorney working on Hunter’s criminal case after whistleblowers with the Internal Revenue Service alleged political interference in the case. One high-ranking IRS official along with the special counsel investigating Hunter, David Weiss, have disputed claims by the whistleblowers in congressional testimony.
Hunter’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, has vehemently criticized the Republican-led investigation into Hunter, calling it a “political stunt” riddled with “discredited conspiracies about the Biden family.” The letterbashed House Republicans’ impeachment inquiry, which revolves around ties connections between the president and Hunter’s business dealings.
Republicans’ allegations of “corruption” by the Bidens are still uncorroborated and they have essentially fallen flat in their efforts to connect Joe Biden to the money his son made in China and elsewhere.
“Here we are, eleven months into your so-called investigation, and every objective review of your ‘revelations’ — including by some of your colleagues — has declared your exploration as one turning up only dry holes,” Hunter Biden’s lawyers wrote.
“Your Committee has been working for almost a year—without success—to tie our client’s business activities to his father,” Lowell wrote in his letter Tuesday in response to the subpoena, adding that, instead of Hunter, the committee should investigate former President Donald Trump and his family’s business.
House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, the Republican who issued the subpoena, previously said Hunter Biden’s testimony was needed to determine the extent that “Joe Biden knew, was involved, and benefited from his family’s influence peddling schemes.”
