First Son Hunter Biden declined an invitation to testify before Congress amid the growing investigation into his business dealings. The rejection came amid new evidence surrounding potential payments to him and President Joe Biden’s brother James and as the president’s son faces two federal trials related to firearms and tax charges.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) requested Biden testify before Congress alongside his former business partners.
However, a letter from Hunter Biden’s attorney said that their client would not take part in what he argued was a “carnival sideshow.”
The refusal led to a significant reaction from Comer, who said that the “only conclusion that one can reach is that Mr. Biden knows his public testimony would not withstand scrutiny.”
“Nonetheless, the Committee will proceed forward — with or without Mr. Biden — because it is important to show publicly how the Biden brand was sold for so many years in Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Romania and China and to explain Joe Biden’s involvement in these lucrative transactions,” Comer said.
.@RepJamesComer pulled no punches in his response to Hunter Biden's decision not to testify publicly in contrast to his previous demands for a public hearing. | @jameslynch32 https://t.co/PE4SfkQ0Cr
— National Review (@NRO) March 16, 2024
Comer also cited Hunter Biden’s request earlier this year to testify in front of the panel in public. After the committee requested the meeting be held in private, Hunter Biden declined and instead held a press event near the steps of the Capitol.
Comer wrote that the president’s son “demanded” a “public hearing where he would answer questions in front of the American people. After facing questions during a deposition, Mr. Biden decided to reverse his position. The only conclusion that one can reach is that Mr. Biden knows his public testimony would not withstand scrutiny.”
The representative said that such public testimony would be a “planned-for-media event” in which Hunter Biden “will be afforded the opportunity to provide his perspective alongside those with whom he has worked most closely.”
Despite the refusal of the president’s son to testify, the event will continue regardless, said Comer. The impeachment inquiry into the president regarding his family’s business dealings will also continue.
