(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Hunter Biden participated in his much-anticipated closed-door deposition Wednesday on Capitol Hill, where he was reportedly “defiant”—blasting a Republican impeachment inquiry into his father and the family’s business affairs as a “house of cards” built on “lies” as he faced a battery of probing questions from lawmakers.
But the President’s son was also reportedly caught making contradictory statements. And according to Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., his stated rationale for why he was hired to work for a Ukrainian energy firm caught lawmakers off guard.
“There were a number of interesting moments, but perhaps none more so than when Hunter Biden told us that he joined Burisma to counter Russian aggression,” Gaetz told reporters following the deposition. “I hadn’t heard that one before. Thank goodness we had Hunter on the Burisma board because that was central to his strategy to counter Vladimir Putin.”
After reviewing Hunter’s opening statement—which was obtained by Punchbowl News—Just the News reported numerous contradictions.
“Hunter Biden told investigators that he did not involve his father in his business deals. Yet, his assertion directly conflicts with publicly available evidence, Hunter Biden’s own statements, and documentation and witness testimony secured by the committee,” Just the News reported Wednesday, listing some of the documented instances where Hunter Biden involved his father, Joe Biden, in his business deals with foreign partners.
According to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., however, Hunter did acknowledge for the first time that his father was the individual being referenced in an email from his abandoned laptop that allocated 10% in a Chinese partnership to “the big guy,” the New York Post reported.
“At one point, we asked Hunter about the 10%,” Greene told Breitbart. “…We showed him the email … And he said, ‘Oh, that was after my father left office.’”
Although Joe Biden had openly campaigned in the 2016 race, dropping out in October 2015 to be with family after the death of his other son, Beau, the prior May—while also trailing behind eventual nominee Hillary Clinton and failing to get an endorsement from former President Barack Obama—Hunter said he assumed at the time of the May 2017 email that his father was completely finished with politics.
“What’s wrong with having a pie-in-the-sky idea?” he reportedly asked.
GOP lawmakers remained undeterred by Hunter’s and his counsel’s repudiation of their investigation. Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., one of the GOP chairmen leading the inquiry, emerged from the hearing late Wednesday to declare that it was a “great deposition,” and said it helped back several pieces of evidence they’ve gathered thus far.
“But there are also some contradictory statements that I think need further review,” the Kentucky Republican said, adding that the next forum for that will be a public hearing with Hunter Biden at a future date.
🚨BREAKING🚨
Following Hunter Biden’s deposition, Chairman Comer announces the next phase is a public hearing.
“I think this was a great deposition for us. It proved several bits of our evidence that we've been conducting throughout this investigation.
“But there were also… pic.twitter.com/ZtsqcyCED2
— Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) February 28, 2024
The deposition of President Joe Biden’s son marked a decisive point for the 14-month Republican investigation into the Biden family. The probe has centered on Hunter Biden and his overseas work for clients in Ukraine, China, Romania and other countries.
Republicans have long questioned whether those business dealings involved corruption and influence peddling by President Biden, particularly when he was vice president.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at twitter.com/jd_cashless.
