Hunter Biden declines House invitation to public hearing
- Hunter Biden previously offered to testify publicly in a hearing
- House Republicans are investigating the Biden family's businesses
- A key witness has been charged with making false statements
Hunter Biden, son of US President Joe Biden, center, departs after an interview with the House Oversight Committee in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024. Republicans in the US Congress are formally investigating whether to impeach President Joe Biden over his family’s business dealings, a politically charged move that casts a shadow on the 2024 election. Photographer: Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images
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(NewsNation) — Hunter Biden has declined to attend a public hearing in Congress due to a scheduling conflict, according to a letter obtained by NewsNation.
The letter, written by Biden attorney Abbe Lowell to House lawmakers, cites a court hearing in California the following day as the reason for refusing. Lowell also called the planned hearing a “carnival sideshow.”
House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that his committee “has called Hunter Biden’s bluff.”
“For months he wanted a public hearing, but now that one has been offered alongside his business associates, he is refusing to come. Next week’s hearing is moving forward and we fully expect Hunter to participate,” Comer said.
House Republicans have conducted multiple investigations into the Biden family, including Hunter Biden, as part of an effort to impeach President Joe Biden.
Hunter Biden previously rejected a subpoena for a closed-door deposition, offering to testify in a public setting again. He did ultimately end up giving testimony to the committee in a closed session.
Lowell pointed to the short notice for the hearing before accusing lawmakers of staging a hearing in an effort to prop up what he called an inquiry based on “a patchwork of conspiracy theories.”
“Your blatant planned-for-media event is not a proper proceeding but an obvious attempt to throw a Hail Mary pass after the game has ended,” Lowell wrote.
The Republican inquiries lost ground after the key witness was arrested and charged with making false statements to a government agency in regards to his allegations that Biden accepted bribes.
Lowell also criticized the other witnesses in the hearing as discredited and said Biden would consider appearing as soon as the committee included witnesses related to alleged influence peddling related to former President Donald Trump, which he said the committee had pledged to pursue.
Read the full letter below: