The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability on Thursday released the transcript of its closed-door meeting with Hunter Biden held the day before.
Hunter Biden's deposition was part of the House Republicans' impeachment inquiry into President Joe 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.
During Wednesday's closed-door meeting, the House Oversight and Judiciary committees interviewed Hunter on claims that his father personally benefited from and influenced his foreign business deals in China and Ukraine while Biden was vice president under the Obama administration.
Hunter said in his opening statement that he did not involve his father in his business, adding, "Not 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 elsewhere in his 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."
Newsweek reached out to Hunter Biden's attorney and the White House via email on Thursday night for comment.
Elsewhere during the meeting, Biden told lawmakers he was "drunk and probably high" when he mentioned his father in a WhatsApp message sent to a Chinese associate.
"My father was not sitting next to me. My father had no awareness," he said. "My father had no awareness of the business that I was doing. My father never benefited from any of the business that I was doing."
Biden also explained while facing questions from House Democrats how he has managed to keep his professional dealings separate from his father, who has served in office for the majority of his life.
"There was one thing that ... I was fully aware of my entire life, is that my dad was an official of the United States government, and there were very bright lines that I abided to and that I was very, very cognizant of," he said.
Meanwhile, the president's son was more contentious with Republicans, including challenging GOP lawmakers to "show" him evidence of any instance "where any money that I've ever had went to my father." He also had a brief heated exchange with Florida Representative Matt Gaetz, who had asked Biden at one point during the deposition if he was "on drugs" while serving on the board of a Ukrainian energy company.
"Mr. Gaetz, look me in the eye," Hunter said in response. "You really think that's appropriate to ask me?"
Read the transcript as provided by the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability below:
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Jon Jackson is an Associate Editor at Newsweek based in New York. His focus is on reporting on the Ukraine ... Read more
