Hunter Biden Calls Republicans’ Bluff

Tom Williams | CQ Roll Call

For months, House Republicans have threatened to subpoena Hunter Biden as part of their ongoing effort to impeach his father. The younger Biden called their bluff, offering to publicly testify before the Republican-led House Oversight Committee.

Now, House Republicans are refusing, demanding instead that Hunter offer testimony in a private, closed-door hearing.

As was the case with their long-percolating desire to overturn federal abortion protections, Republicans are the proverbial dog that caught the car with respect to Hunter Biden.

In October, Republicans involved with the formal impeachment inquiry into President Biden issued subpoenas demanding testimony from Hunter and his uncle, James Biden.

Abbe Lowell, Hunter’s attorney, drafted a scathing letter in which he said his client would provide testimony to the committee on December 13th as requested in the subpoena—but only in public.

“If, as you claim, your efforts are important and involve issues that Americans should know about, then let the light shine on these proceedings,” Lowell wrote.

In response, committee chairman James Comer refused Hunter Biden’s offer, demanding he comply with a closed-door hearing.

“Hunter Biden is trying to play by his own rules instead of following the rules required of everyone else. That won’t stand with House Republicans,” Comer said in a public statement.

Comer’s reflexive rejection of public testimony prompted the committee’s Democratic ranking member, Jamie Raskin, to mock his Republican colleagues for their apparent cowardice:

“After wailing and moaning for ten months about Hunter Biden and alluding to some vast unproven family conspiracy, after sending Hunter Biden a subpoena to appear and testify, Chairman Comer and the Oversight Republicans now reject his offer to appear before the full Committee and the eyes of the world and to answer any questions that they pose?”

If Republicans refuse his offer, it remains to be seen whether Hunter Biden will comply with their subpoena or—like Jim Jordan, one of the most prominent Republicans seeking to impeach his father—refuse.