House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer on Friday said Wednesday's closed-door deposition with Hunter Biden was a "huge success" for the impeachment inquiry against President Joe Biden.
"The transcript shows that Hunter Biden wasn't truthful. He accused his former business associates of lying. He admitted that Joe Biden did in fact get $40,000 that came from China," Comer, who's overseeing the GOP-led impeachment inquiry into Hunter's father, said during an appearance on Fox News' Hannity.
He added: "So many things that we've been talking about in our investigation were proven in the deposition. I think the deposition was a huge success."
Newsweek reached out to Hunter Biden's attorney via email on Friday night for comment.
The Context
Hunter Biden's deposition was part of the House Republicans' impeachment inquiry into President Biden. The president is accused of being involved with and benefiting from his son Hunter's foreign business dealings. The White House has repeatedly denied that Biden had anything to do with his son's dealings.
On Thursday, the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability released the transcript of its meeting with Hunter Biden held the day before.
What We Know
The transcript shows Hunter repeatedly denied involving his father in his business, stating that he did not do so "while I was a practicing lawyer, not in my investments or transactions, domestic or international, not as a board member, and not as an artist."
"All I know is this: My father was never involved in any of my business, ever," Hunter Biden said in the deposition. "Never received a cent from anybody or never benefited in any way. Never took any actions on behalf in any way. And I can absolutely, 100% state, that is not just in my case but in every family member's case."
Views
Following Wednesday's deposition, Democratic Representative Robert Garcia of California criticized the impeachment inquiry.
"I spent hours in the Hunter Biden deposition yesterday with zero evidence presented against the President," Garcia wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "It's time to investigate the real White House crime family. Why did Jared Kushner receive $2 billion just months after leaving the Trump White House? We demand answers."
Meanwhile, Republican Representative Kelly Armstrong of North Dakota said, "Hunter Biden only wants to answer questions that are convenient for him."
"The deposition was an important step. The next is a live congressional hearing. The American people deserve to see what is going on," Armstrong wrote on X.
What's Next?
Despite a well-publicized source in the inquiry, former FBI informant Alexander Smirnov, getting charged with making false statements and manufacturing false records concerning the Biden family's business dealings, House Republicans are still pursuing the probe.
"The next phase now is to bring Hunter in for a public hearing and hear from the other Biden associates and let's determine then who the American people think are telling the truth," Comer told Sean Hannity on Wednesday night.
Update 03/01/24, 9:50 p.m. ET: This article has been updated to include more background information.
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Jon Jackson is an Associate Editor at Newsweek based in New York. His focus is on reporting on the Ukraine ... Read more
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