Hunter Biden arrived on Capitol Hill to testify before House lawmakers on Wednesday, marking the latest and most high-profile development for Republicans’ monthslong impeachment inquiry into the president.
Biden appeared for his closed-door deposition just before 10 a.m. at the Thomas P. O’Neill Jr. House Office Building, where he is expected to answer questions under oath from House Republicans on whether President Joe Biden assisted in his son’s business dealings.
Hunter Biden declined to take questions when greeted by a crowd of reporters and cameras as he entered the Capitol Hill building.
Hunter Biden’s testimony comes after Republicans have pushed for months for the president’s son to appear behind closed doors, which he and his legal team initially refused, instead offering to sit for public testimony. However, that refusal was met with a threat by House Republicans to hold Hunter Biden in contempt, resulting in an agreement to sit down for a private deposition with public testimony to follow.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) addressed reporters on his way into the hearing to lay out Republicans’ case ahead of Hunter Biden’s testimony. Comer referenced previous testimony in which witnesses said “Joe Biden was the brand” his son used to boost his business dealings, but the chairman faced tense exchanges with reporters on whether there is direct evidence linking the president to Hunter Biden.
“This is public corruption 101,” Comer said.
Republicans first subpoenaed Hunter Biden in November, demanding he appear before the House Oversight and Judiciary committees by mid-December. However, the younger Biden’s legal team refused to comply with the request, arguing it was illegitimate because it was issued before the House voted to open an inquiry.
House Democrats also pushed back against Republicans’ request for closed-door testimony, claiming Republicans would only release select portions of his testimony to the public that could be taken out of context to further their case.
Instead, Hunter Biden made two separate appearances on Capitol Hill to rail against the subpoena, angering House Republicans who demanded he sit before the committee. In one instance, the president’s son gave a statement to lawmakers during an impeachment hearing before leaving without taking any questions.
Hunter Biden’s appearance comes one week after Republicans heard from the president’s brother, James Biden, in a closed-door meeting. However, that high-profile deposition lacked the testimony needed to incriminate President Biden as his brother testified that he had no involvement in any of his business decisions.
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The inquiry is looking into three main things, all of which relate to Hunter Biden: whether Joe Biden improperly used his position of power to enrich himself and his family, whether he used his influence to pressure the Department of Justice to help his son avoid criminal charges, and how involved he was in his family’s foreign business dealings.
Up until this point, the Oversight and Judiciary committees have failed to uncover definitive evidence tying Joe Biden to criminal activity or any misconduct that constitutes a high crime or misdemeanor. Instead, Democrats and their staffers have accused Republicans of wasting money and resources on an investigation they say is politically motivated.