House Republicans ask Hunter Biden’s legal team to confirm closed-door deposition
House Republicans are asking Hunter Biden’s legal team to confirm if the president’s son will appear for a closed-door deposition later this month.
Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) and Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) sent a letter Friday to Abbe Lowell, Hunter Biden’s counsel, asking for confirmation by Monday that he will appear, as subpoenaed, for a deposition on Dec. 13.
It’s the latest back and forth between Hunter Biden’s legal team and the House GOP investigators over the appearance.
Lowell, in a letter last week, said Hunter Biden was willing to appear on Dec. 13, or any other date this month that they could agree to, but wanted it to be a public hearing, not a closed-door deposition.
“A public proceeding would prevent selective leaks, manipulated transcripts, doctored exhibits, or one-sided press statements,” Lowell wrote at the time.
But Comer immediately poured cold water on the request, saying Hunter Biden had to first appear for the closed-door deposition.
“We appreciate your confirmation that Mr. Biden is available and willing to testify on December 13. Pursuant to the terms of the subpoenas … this testimony will occur initially in a deposition setting,” Comer and Jordan reiterated in their Friday letter, adding they looked forward to also having a public hearing “at the appropriate time.”
Pointing back to Lowell’s concerns about a closed-door interview, Comer and Jordan added they would videotape the deposition and release a transcript “soon after its completion.”
House Republicans view Hunter Biden as their top potential witness in the impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, which has largely focused on the business deals of Hunter and other family members. Republicans haven’t yet found a smoking gun that links actions taken by Joe Biden as president or vice president to those arrangements.
But they could vote as soon as next week to formalize that inquiry, which they believe will give them more legal teeth in potential court battles over subpoenaed witnesses and documents. They’ve issued several subpoenas over the past month, including to Hunter Biden, Joe Biden’s brother James Biden and Rob Walker, a Hunter Biden business associate.