Democratic Representative Dan Goldman said on Wednesday that the opening portion of Hunter Biden's deposition was the "nail in the coffin" to the ongoing investigation into his business dealings and an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.
"That first hour of this much-anticipated testimony was the nail in the coffin to what is a complete bogus and sham impeachment inquiry," Goldman told reporters during a break of the hearing. "Not only were they unable to show any connection between Hunter Biden's business and President Biden, but Hunter Biden gave very detailed and clear explanations as to what his arms-length business transactions were private parties and foreign countries."
Goldman added that Hunter Biden faced "some inappropriate attacks" in the first hour of his testimony.
The Context
On Wednesday, Hunter Biden appeared before the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees to provide a testimony relating to Republicans' ongoing investigation into his business dealings. Republicans are seeking to find if Joe Biden benefited from any of Hunter's business dealings while he was serving as vice president under former President Barack Obama.
The House Oversight Committee has also launched an impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden prompting criticism from many Democrats, such as Goldman.
What We Know
Hunter Biden's legal team provided Newsweek with a portion of his opening testimony on Wednesday which said, "For more than a year, your committees have hunted me in your partisan political pursuit of my dad."
"You have trafficked in innuendo, distortion, and sensationalism—all the while ignoring the clear and convincing evidence staring you in the face...You do not have evidence to support the baseless and MAGA-motivated conspiracies about my father because there isn't any," the statement added.
Newsweek reached out to the House Oversight Committee via email for comment.
Views
Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also slammed Republicans' investigation into Hunter Biden, calling it a "deep-sea fishing expedition."
Representative Eric Swalwell said, "They've got nothing, that's what we just witnessed for the last hour."
While speaking to reporters before Hunter Biden's testimony, Representative James Comer, the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said, "we're deposing Hunter Biden because he's a key witness in our investigation of Joe Biden."
"Our committees have unearthed substantial evidence of President Biden and his family's corruption," Comer said.
What's Next
In addition to the deposition today, Hunter Biden is also facing federal gun charges, relating to him allegedly lying about his own drug use while applying for a firearm in 2018.
The Department of Justice is also investigation allegations relating to Hunter Biden evading payment of federal taxes.
Hunter Biden has pled not guilty to the gun charges and the tax charges.
This is a breaking news story that will be updated when more information becomes available.
Update, 2/28/24, 11:55 a.m. EST: This story has been updated with further information.
Update, 2/28/24, 12:29 p.m. EST: This story has been updated with further information.
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Matthew Impelli is a Newsweek staff writer based in New York. His focus is reporting social issues and crime. In ... Read more
