Several Republicans criticized Hunter Biden on Wednesday after his legal team declined a public hearing before the House of Representatives.
"The House Oversight Committee has called Hunter Biden's bluff. Hunter Biden for months stated he wanted a public hearing, but now that one has been offered alongside his business associates that he worked with for years, he is refusing to come," House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said in a statement.
Comer added that next week's hearing involving Hunter Biden's associates will continue to move forward and he expects President Joe Biden's son to "participate," adding that "the American people demand the truth and accountability for the Bidens' corruption."
Republican Representative Tom Tiffany also responded on X, formerly Twitter, saying "If Hunter Biden had nothing to hide, he would show up and testify in front of the American public."
Republican Representative Byron Donalds said, "The American people demand truth & accountability for Biden family corruption."
The context:
On Wednesday, Hunter Biden said that he will not be attending a public hearing in Congress as Republicans continue their investigation into his business dealings and their impeachment inquiry of Joe Biden.
"Your blatant planned-for media event is not a proper proceeding but an obvious attempt to throw a Hail Mary pass after the game has ended," Hunter Biden's attorney, Abbe Lowell, said in a statement declining to attend the hearing, Reuters reported.
What we know:
Last month, Hunter Biden appeared before the GOP-led House Oversight Committee in a closed-door meeting and told lawmakers that he did not involve his father in his prior business dealings.
"All I know is this: My father was never involved in any of my business, ever," Hunter Biden said, according to a transcript released of the meeting. "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 Lowell via email for further comment.
Views:
Fox News legal analyst and law professor at George Washington University, Jonathan Turley, also responded on social media, saying "Remember when Hunter Biden and his counsel Abb[e] Lowell called for a public hearing to 'let the light shine on these proceedings'?
"Hunter just declined to appear in a public hearing. It appears that he is suddenly heliophobic."
However, many Democrats, including Representative Dan Goldman, have criticized Republicans' efforts on investigating Hunter Biden. Goldman branded it a "complete bogus and sham impeachment inquiry."
What's next:
As Comer noted in his response, the hearing involving Hunter Biden's business associates is expected to move forward later this month.
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, as well as a probe from the Department of Justice on allegations relating to tax fraud.
This is a developing story that will be updated as more information becomes available.
Update, 3/13/24, 12:39 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with further information.
Update, 3/13/24, 1:15 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with further information.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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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
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