Hunter Biden testified behind closed doors for over six hours as part of the House GOP’s impeachment investigation against his father, President Joe Biden.
In his opening statement, Hunter aggressively defended his father and attacked Republicans pursuing “baseless conspiracies.”
During breaks, Democrats and Republicans offered differing views of the proceedings, with Democrats arguing it proved the investigation’s lack of merit and Republicans saying Hunter gave contradictory answers requiring further review.
Key issues discussed included Hunter’s business dealings, drug addiction, and interactions with his father.
“For more than a year, your committees have hunted me in your partisan political pursuit of my dad,” Hunter Biden said. “You have trafficked in innuendo, distortion, and sensationalism – all the while ignoring the clear and convincing evidence staring you in the face. You do not have evidence to support the baseless and MAGA-motivated conspiracies about my father because there isn’t any.”
“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.
“To be clear, I have made mistakes in my life, and I have squandered opportunities and privileges that were afforded to me. I know that. I am responsible for that. And I am making amends for that,” Hunter said. “But my mistakes and shortcomings are my own and not my father’s, who has done nothing but devote his entire life to public service and trying to make this country a better place to live.”
“What we saw I think was a rather embarrassing spectacle, where the Republicans continue to belabor completely trivial points they seem to be obsessively focused on,” Rep. Jamie Raskin said.
“The Biden impeachment investigation is over and we just witnessed its last breath,” Rep. Eric Swalwell said. “After six-plus hours of Hunter Biden testifying, we learned absolutely nothing.”
Republicans plan to hold a public hearing with Hunter as their next step, while Democrats believe the deposition ends the inquiry.
The sharply opposing partisan takes leave fundamental disagreements unresolved.
The interview “proved several bits of our evidence that we’ve been conducting,” Rep. James Comer said.
“I think this is a great deposition for us,” he said. “But there are also some contradictory statements that I think need further review.”
“When pressure was placed on Hunter Biden he swung back to being, you know, a poor, pitiful addict. And then when he wanted to brag about things he was the smartest and most successful businessman in the room,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said.
“It seems to me that the Republican members wanted to spend more time talking about my client’s addiction than they could ask any question that had anything to do with what they call their impeachment inquiry. So as I said before, there is no evidence because there is no evidence. And today confirmed that,” Biden attorney Abbe Lowell said.
“The transcripts of witnesses who have been called to date, including Hunter’s, makes it obvious that there is nothing left to ask, answer, say, or do,” Lowell said. “This illegitimate inquiry should have ended long before their star witness was indicted for lying but it wasn’t.”
“I think [Hunter Biden] may be a little bit frustrated by some of the double standards relating to Jared Kushner and money that has been just openly pocketed by Donald Trump in office, and Jared Kushner, of course, brought back $2 billion from Saudi Arabia. And all of that has been part of the conversation, and he was assertive about that,” Raskin said.
“I think, to the resonance of a lot of people in the room on a bipartisan basis that people do that. People say, ‘Hey, Dad, will you say hello to my friends?’ ‘Mom, will you say hello to, you know, my colleagues are here?’ Dropping in and that was it,” Raskin said.
“Hunter Biden was very clear that they never involved any discussions of business, in part because his dad was never involved in his business, and they never discussed it,” Rep. Dan Goldman said.
“It’s been a very civil deposition,” Rep. Jared Moskowitz said.
“This impeachment inquiry will now go to the next phase which will be a public hearing,” Comer said.
“As long as we keep getting new information in, we’re going to continue to pursue. I’m ready to try to begin to close this investigation” Comer said.
