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Hunter Biden Offers to Testify in House Inquiry, but Only in Public [1]

['Luke Broadwater', 'More About Luke Broadwater']

Date: 2023-11-28

Mr. Comer quickly rejected the offer, insisting that Mr. Biden first speak to the Oversight panel behind closed doors, but said that he could still testify publicly down the road.

“Hunter Biden is trying to play by his own rules instead of following the rules required of everyone else,” Mr. Comer said in a statement. “Our lawfully issued subpoena to Hunter Biden requires him to appear for a deposition on Dec. 13. We expect full cooperation with our subpoena for a deposition but also agree that Hunter Biden should have opportunity to testify in a public setting at a future date.”

Should Mr. Biden speak publicly in the House under oath, he would be taking risks, both criminally and politically. He is the subject of a federal criminal investigation now being led by a special counsel, and he is under indictment on charges of lying about his drug use on a federal form he filled out to purchase a handgun in 2018. Any testimony he provides to Congress could be used against him.

Mr. Biden has also engaged in activities — leveraging his father’s status for profit, accepting expensive gifts from overseas interests, failing to pay taxes on time, drug use and prostitution — that while already well documented could be politically damaging to President Biden’s re-election efforts if they become the focus of additional attention.

But those familiar with Hunter Biden’s strategy say his offer was designed to limit both of those risks. By testifying publicly, he could avoid manipulation of his words that could occur through selective leaks from closed-door testimony. And by putting Mr. Comer in the position of rejecting an offer of public testimony, Mr. Biden’s team was able to signal that he feels he has nothing to hide.

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[1] Url: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/28/us/politics/hunter-biden-house-testify.html

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