WASHINGTON — Two Republican-led House committees announced Thursday that Hunter Biden will appear for a closed-door deposition on February 28 as part of their impeachment investigation against his father.
“Hunter Biden will appear before our committees for a deposition on February 28, 2024. His deposition will come after several interviews with members and associates of the Biden family,” Reps. James Comer and Jim Jordan said in a statement. “We look forward to Hunter Biden’s testimony.”
Comer, R-Ky., is chairman of the Oversight and Accountability Committee, while Jordan, R-Ohio, is chairman of the Judiciary Committee.
Both Republicans added that their committees were working with the president’s brother’s lawyer. James Biden to schedule his appearance as well.
The committees are expected to hear from business associates of Biden family members later this month and in February.
The White House referred NBC News to Hunter Biden’s representatives when contacted for comment.
A source familiar with discussions between Oversight and Judiciary committee staff and Hunter Biden’s lawyers confirmed the Republicans’ statement without explicitly saying Biden would attend the deposition.
“His team has been discussing with Committee staff regarding a way for Hunter to provide the facts in a way that addresses his concerns,” the source said in an email, reiterating Hunter Biden’s willingness to testify publicly.
“His concern has always been a tendency among Republicans to favor closed sessions,” the source added.
Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, said he looked forward to Feb. 28 and “getting this thing over with.”
“More and more Republicans are telling me, especially now that their margin is almost zero, that they simply don’t have the votes for impeachment,” Raskin said. “And so they have to try to keep the Hunter Biden thing going.” The Hunter Biden case distracts from the fact that there are a dozen Republicans who simply won’t vote to impeach Joe Biden because they are in divided districts.”
The president’s son previously said he would be willing to testify at an initial public hearing, an offer Republicans had beaten down, arguing that they wanted him to appear for a closed-door deposition first. Hunter Biden defied the subpoena for closed-door testimony, instead appearing outside the Capitol for a press conference in December.
“I am here today to ensure that the House committee’s illegitimate investigations into my family are not based on distortions, manipulated evidence and lies,” he told reporters last month. .
House Republicans this week suspended efforts to push for a resolution to detain President Joe Biden’s son. contempt of Congress as Hunter Biden’s lawyers and committees began talking about scheduling testimony. GOP lawmakers on Sunday said they would issue new subpoenas for Hunter Biden.
Comer told NBC News on Thursday that he “absolutely” believed it was the contempt process that persuaded Hunter Biden to enter.
Hunter Biden’s change of heart comes as he faces the credible threat of a House vote to convict him in contempt of Congress. Two Republican-led committees had approved the vote and it is expected to pass the House. If it had passed, it would be referred to a U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C., to decide whether to prosecute Hunter Biden.
Comer also said he was still committed to letting Hunter Biden testify in a public hearing after a closed-door deposition and promised to release a transcript of the deposition “promptly” after it took place. He predicted the deposition would last about eight hours.
The GOP-controlled House voted in December to authorize his impeachment inquiry against the president over his family’s business dealings, although Republicans have no concrete produced proof that the president has committed wrongdoing or peddled his influence.
“It’s clear that Republicans know they haven’t got their hands on Joe Biden,” Raskin said, adding that Republicans “think Hunter Biden has had his name dragged through the mud enough that he’s unpopular, so they could attack him. »
Pierre Alexandre contributed.
