🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.
Hunter Biden's deposition in front of House GOP lawmakers will be the "nail in the coffin" of the long-standing investigation into the embattled son of President Joe Biden, according to one Democrat.
On Thursday, Republican Representatives James Comer, the chairman of the Oversight Committee, and Representative Jim Jordan, the chairman of the Judiciary Panel, announced that Hunter Biden's deposition will take place on February 28 following testimony offered by several Biden family members and associates.
The agreement comes about one week after the president's son, who has referred to the ongoing House GOP investigation as "baseless," walked out of a chaotic and public House Oversight Committee hearing. The GOP-led committees previously sought to hold Hunter in contempt for defying a congressional subpoena last month.
Hunter's attorney, Abbe Lowell, has called the GOP tactics "improper partisan motives" and previously indicated six separate times that he and his client had offered to provide relevant information.
"I suspect that he will be the final nail in the coffin of what is a completely bogus impeachment investigation based on what he said publicly previously," Representative Dan Goldman, a New York Democrat, told CNN's Manu Raju on Thursday evening. "I'm eager for him to come in, set the record straight, and respond to the slanderous attacks that have been made against him by Republicans for years now."
A source familiar with the discussion between committee staff and Hunter Biden's attorneys told Newsweek that the president's son always wanted to provide the committees with the facts they desired, acknowledging he went to Congress twice to do just that.
"[Hunter's] concern has always been a pattern by Republicans to cherry-pick closed-door sessions," the source said. "That is the reason Hunter wanted and then accepted Chairman Comer's offer of appearing at a public hearing. His team has been in discussion with committee staff regarding a way for Hunter to provide the facts in a way that addresses his concern."
Since the House GOP took over the majority following the 2022 midterm elections, they have focused heavily on Hunter Biden and purportedly controversial financial dealings related to overseas transactions involving individuals from countries including Ukraine, China, Russia, Romania and Kazakhstan.
Republicans have attempted to link such transactions directly back to President Biden, forging ahead in December by officially authorizing an impeachment inquiry.
"If [Hunter Biden] swears under oath and answers the questions, that's information we'll take in, certainly," Republican Representative Marc Molinaro of New York told Raju. "But there's little question that he was peddling a brand. I mean, who else would hire the vice president's son with no experience for that purpose?"
Molinaro added that Hunter's alleged behavior and financial benefits do not mean that it "implicates" the president.
Patricia Crouse, a political science practitioner in residence at the University of New Haven, told Newsweek on Friday that she suspects the upcoming closed-door deposition will mimic previous hearings, "that although Hunter Biden may have engaged in illegal activities, his father was not involved."
"And I think that no matter how hard the Republicans try to spin his testimony, Hunter Biden and his legal team have successfully shown how 'unserious' they are about getting to the truth," Crouse said. "I am not sure how impactful his testimony will actually be."
The House Oversight Committee also said Thursday that Kevin Morris, described as a Hollywood lawyer and Democratic donor who was present when Hunter Biden walked out of the January 10 hearing, provided testimony to committee members.
Morris testified that he loaned Hunter at least $5 million to pay off Hunter's tax debt, the committee alleges, and that Morris purportedly provided payments to Hunter's ex-wife, Kathleen Buhle, and the mother of his child, Lunden Roberts. Morris was also said to have purchased some of Hunter's art.
In return, Hunter allegedly provided Morris access to the White House, including a tour of the building, an invitation to a wedding occurring on the grounds, and admittance into the White House's Fourth of July picnic.
No transcript of Morris' testimony has been released by the committee.
Update 01/19/24, 11:59 a.m. ET: This story was updated with comment from Patricia Crouse and a source familiar with the discussion between committee staff and Hunter Biden's attorneys.
fairness meter
About the writer
Nick Mordowanec is a Newsweek investigative reporter based in Michigan. His focus includes U.S. and international politics and policies, immigration, ... Read more