Washington — Hunter Biden is testifying Wednesday in a deposition before two House committees after Republicans’ impeachment inquiry into President Biden suffered an embarrassing setback — a key witness was recently charged with lying about the first family’s business dealings.
Republicans on the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees have long sought Hunter Biden’s testimony, moving last month toward holding him in contempt of Congress. They argued that Hunter Biden’s testimony was a “critical component” of their impeachment inquiry, which has centered around allegations that the president profited off of his family members’ foreign business dealings while he was vice president.
But the inquiry has yet to uncover any evidence of impeachable offenses and was dealt a blow when the Trump-appointed special counsel investigating Hunter Biden charged a one-time FBI informant for allegedly lying about the president and his son accepting $5 million bribes from a Ukrainian energy company. Prosecutors also revealed in a court filing last week that the informant, Alexander Smirnov, claimed he had ties to Russian intelligence officials.
The claims that prosecutors now say are false have been central to Republicans’ argument that the president acted improperly to benefit his family’s foreign business dealings.
Abbe Lowell, an attorney for Hunter Biden, said the charges show the impeachment inquiry is “based on dishonest, uncredible allegations and witnesses.” The White House has dismissed the impeachment inquiry as a ” baseless political stunt.”
Lawmakers heard testimony last week from the president’s brother, James Biden, who said the president “never had any involvement” in the business dealings of other members of his family.
“I have had a 50-year career in a variety of business ventures. Joe Biden has never had any involvement or any direct or indirect financial interest in those activities,” the president’s younger brother told lawmakers behind closed doors, according to his opening statement obtained by CBS News. “None.”
House Oversight Chairman James Comer, a Kentucky Republican, said in a statement Tuesday that his committee’s investigation has revealed that “Joe Biden was ‘the brand’ his family sold to enrich” themselves.
“Joe Biden attended dinners, spoke on speakerphone, showed up to meetings, and had coffee with his son’s foreign business associates,” Comer said.
A former business associate of Hunter Biden testified last year that the younger Biden would occasionally put his father on speakerphone at business meetings, but they never discussed business on the calls. The associate said the then-vice president was put on the phone to help Hunter Biden sell “the brand.”
Hunter Biden’s attorney has said any interaction between his client’s business associates and his father “was simply to exchange small talk.”
Republicans argue that those instances show the president was involved in his son’s foreign business dealings, which the president and his son have repeatedly denied.
Comer said the committee is planning more subpoenas and witness interviews after Hunter Biden’s deposition.
An impeachment inquiry aide said the committee is planning to hold a public hearing eventually.
Hunter Biden was indicted on nine tax charges in California in December for failing to pay at least $1.4 million in federal taxes between 2016 and 2019, while he was struggling with addiction. He has since paid off the back taxes, with the help of a loan from Kevin Morris, a Hollywood attorney.
Morris testified in January to lawmakers, denying that he used the loans to Hunter Biden to gain access and influence in the White House.
“I did not and do not have any expectations of receiving anything from Hunter’s father or the Biden administration in exchange for helping Hunter, nor have I asked for anything from President Biden or his administration. My only goal was and is to help my friend and client,” he said in a statement after testifying.
In addition to the tax charges, Hunter Biden was indicted on three federal gun charges in Delaware that allege he lied about his drug use to buy a gun that he possessed for 11 days in 2018.
He has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges against him.
Nikole Killion contributed reporting.