"The House Oversight Committee has called Hunter Biden’s bluff," said Republican Congressman James Comer about the president's son's refusal to testify about his business dealings at a public hearing scheduled for next Wednesday.
Comer recalled that Biden Jr. refused, for months, to appear before the committee, alleging that a closed-door statement would be manipulated by Republicans, who, in the words of his lawyer, would even go so far as to "distort the facts and misinform the public." He would only speak, he said, if his words were broadcast openly: "We therefore propose opening the door."
After weeks of back-and-forth, Hunter Biden finally testified for seven hours before several committees late last month. Although the hearing was not public, its full transcript was later released. After that meeting, Comer assured that the investigation would move to the next phase, "which will be a public hearing."
The Republican assured that, during his presentation, Biden "confirmed key evidence, including evidence that his father, President Joe Biden, lied to the American people about his family’s business dealings and in fact attended meetings, spoke on speakerphone, and had coffee with his foreign business associates who collectively funneled millions to the Bidens."
Comer maintained that Biden contradicted his former associates Devon Archer, Jason Galanis and Tony Bobulinski in his testimony. They were also summoned to next week's public hearing. Bobulinski, through a statement released by the National Review, accused Biden of "running away from his chance to tell the American people the truth.":
He’s been adamant in wanting to go before the American people, and Oversight is now giving him that opportunity. Now is the time to step up, Hunter, as you have said you want to do.
"Mr. Biden declines your invitation to this carnival side show"
"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 letter to Comer reported by Politico.
In Wednesday's letter, Lowell maintains that his client has already answered the committee's questions, maintaining that Comer himself had said that witnesses could choose how to testify. He also accused him of basing his investigation on falsehoods - especially phrases out of context - and said he was surprised that he wanted to question him again since the first appearance showed that the commission's efforts had been nothing more than a "wasteful year-long misadventure."
"Far from the “smoking guns” you claim, the “evidence” does not amount even to droplets from a water pistol," he said before settling:
Mr. Biden declines your invitation to this carnival side show.
Lowell did say he would "consider" attending next Wednesday if family members of former President Donald Trump also participated. That, he assured, would demonstrate that the legislators' objective was "legitimate and bipartisan." Specifically, he was referring to Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, whom during his testimony, Biden accused of shady dealings in Saudi Arabia.
