WASHINGTON — Hunter Biden on Wednesday repeated his offer to appear at a public hearing on Capitol Hill, appearing to defy a House Republican-issued subpoena that called for him to testify instead at a closed-door deposition.
President Joe Biden’s son announced during brief remarks outside of the U.S. Capitol that he has chosen to testify at a public hearing to answer questions from House Republicans.
The subpoena, however, called for him to appear for a closed-door deposition Wednesday morning before the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees. Republicans have rejected Hunter Biden’s offer to appear for an initial public hearing, saying they want him to testify privately first. They have also threatened to hold him in contempt of Congress if he does not appear.
“I’m here today to make sure that the House committees’ illegitimate investigations of my family do not proceed on distortions, manipulated evidence and lies,” he told reporters in his statement.
Hunter Biden said that for six years, he has been the target of “MAGA Republicans” who “have impugned my character invaded my privacy, attacked my wife, my children, my family, and my friends. They ridiculed my struggle with addiction. They belittled my recovery and they have tried to dehumanize me, all to embarrass and damage my father who has devoted his entire life to service.”
“For six years, I have been a target of the unrelenting Trump attack machine shouting, ‘Where’s Hunter?’ Well, here’s my answer. I am here,” he said.
He stated that his father was not financially involved in any of his business dealings. “Not as a practicing lawyer, as a board member of Burisma not in my partnership with a Chinese private businessman, not in my investments at home nor abroad and certainly not as an artist,” he said.
Hunter Biden said that his parents saved his life as he battled with addiction in the wake of his brother Beau’s death from cancer and he admitted that during that time, he was “extremely irresponsible” with his finances.
“But to suggest that is grounds for an impeachment inquiry is beyond the absurd. It’s shameless,” he said. “There’s no evidence to support the allegations that my father was financially involved in my business.”
Hunter Biden said that the three chairmen investigating him — Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith, R-Mo. — have “distorted the facts” by cherry-picking lines from a bank statement, manipulating texts he sent and editing testimony of his friends and former business partners.
“There is no fairness or decency in what these Republicans are doing,” he said. “They have lied over and over about every aspect of my personal and professional life, so much so that their lies have become false facts believed by too many people.”
He added, “No matter how many times it is debunked, they continue to insist that my father’s support of Ukraine against Russia is the result of a nonexistent bribe.”
The Oversight and Judiciary panels didn’t know as recently as Tuesday whether Hunter Biden would show up for the closed-door deposition required by their subpoena. They were even prepared for him to come in with a camera set-up.
This comes as the House, meanwhile, is set to vote Wednesday to authorize an impeachment inquiry into President Biden, which was informally launched by then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., in September.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
