Hunter Biden is scheduled to face a highly anticipated showdown this week with Republicans he once accused of trying to kill him to damage his father’s political career, leading to a chaotic Republican-led party. This could be a pivotal moment in the impeachment inquiry.
Members of the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees are scheduled to meet with President Joe Biden’s son Wednesday in a closed session at the Capitol.
The Republican Party’s credibility has been hit by the recent indictment of a former FBI official accused of fabricating bribery allegations involving the Bidens, once a core tenet of the party, justifying the investigation. We want to elicit possible exposure. The story of impeachment.
Hunter Biden abruptly ended his efforts to testify in a public hearing in January, and is likely to continue denying any involvement in his father’s overseas business. The president denied any role in his son’s professional life.
Republican lawmakers are also expected to ask questions about the ethical implications of his artistic practice and his relationship with his friend, lawyer and patron Kevin Morris.
But failing to do so may limit what the committee can say about matters related to the two federal criminal charges Hunter Biden faces, a person familiar with his preparations told ABC News. told.
Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty to tax-related charges in California and gun-related crimes in Delaware.
Wednesday’s hearing follows months of public and private controversy over the nature and extent of Hunter Biden’s cooperation with a congressional subpoena first issued in November 2023 by Oversight Chairman James Comer and Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan. It is done after.
Hunter Biden appeared at the Capitol not once but twice to demand that Republicans allow him to testify publicly. Republicans rejected his overtures, arguing that his first testimony should take place behind closed doors, as they insist it does for all other witnesses. At one point, Comer threatened to hold him in contempt of Congress.
Hunter Biden ultimately acquiesced. But his legal team is trying to find a way to satisfy concerns that Republicans on the committee would cherry-pick or misrepresent his testimony, according to people familiar with the matter. The terms of the interview were negotiated.
Notably, the committee agreed that the transcript of the full interview would be shared with Democrats and Republicans on the committee simultaneously and released as soon as possible thereafter, and that his interview would not be videotaped.
The committee has already interviewed dozens of witnesses and examined thousands of bank records owned by Hunter Biden and his uncle, James Biden, who told lawmakers last week that the president was not involved in the family’s business dealings. He said he was not involved.
At least nine other key witnesses questioned as part of the impeachment inquiry also shared similar exculpatory testimony that undermines a key tenet of the Republican charges against the president.
Nevertheless, Republicans are expected to pursue Hunter Biden for his alleged role in selling Biden’s “brand” to obtain lucrative business deals overseas. A tendency to bring up one’s family’s name in business negotiations. whether the millions of dollars earned from foreign entities personally benefited his father;
These allegations are at the center of Republican accusations against President Biden, including that the president made policy decisions based on his son’s business dealings or accepted payments of some kind through his family during his time as vice president and at other times. There is no concrete evidence showing that.
Still, some witnesses testified that Joe Biden took a more active role in his son’s work than he or the White House acknowledged, even if those interactions did not result in direct financial involvement. are doing.
Devon Archer, a former business associate of Hunter Biden and James Biden, said Joe Biden attended at least two dinners with foreign business partners, but that “nothing important happened.” We didn’t discuss it.”
Archer, who sat with Hunter Biden on the board of directors of Ukrainian energy company Burisma, also testified that Biden often put his father on speakerphone when business associates were present; He said the discussions were about the weather and other innocuous topics. Subject.
Notably, Archer said he was not aware of any wrongdoing by Joe Biden.
Hunter Biden has admitted to discussing his business activities with his father at least once. In a 2019 interview with The New Yorker, Hunter Biden recalled a conversation they had about his appointment to Burisma’s board, saying, “My father said, ‘I want you to know what you’re doing,’ “I said, ‘I know,'” he said. ” Hunter Biden recalled.
Comer said in a statement Tuesday that the Republican investigation will continue despite Wednesday’s outcome.
“Our committee has an opportunity to remove Hunter Biden, a key witness in President Joe Biden’s impeachment inquiry, regarding this record of evidence,” he said. “This deposition is not the conclusion of the impeachment inquiry. There will be further subpoenas and witness interviews in the future. We will continue to track the facts to inform legislative reform of the federal ethics law, and we will I will decide whether or not it is legitimate.”