Hunter Biden was grilled behind closed doors for hours by House Republicans seeking to tie his overseas business dealings to his father as part of their impeachment inquiry into the president while Democrats have dismissed the effort as a baseless political stunt.
His testimony is a crucial part of the GOP’s case against the president and family, though Hunter Biden did not offer any incriminating statements about his father’s conduct. It came after weeks of negotiations about the conditions he would appear under, which included defying a subpoena and appearing in Washington to challenge Republicans to hold the hearing publicly.
The deposition came after the impeachment inquiry took a hit with the arrest of Alexander Smirnov, a former FBI agent who is now accused of making up a story about a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme about the Biden family and allegedly has ties to Russian intelligence.
Republicans have yet to uncover concrete evidence showing any wrongdoing by the president, but they argue bank statements, witness interviews and other parts of their investigation paint a picture of influence peddling.
Hunter Biden was insistent that his father was not involved in his business and blasted Republicans for pursuing a “destructive political charade” and using “innuendo, distortion, and sensationalism, all the while ignoring the clear and convincing evidence starting you in the face.”
GOP lawmakers leading the inquiry said it will now go to its next phase, which will be a public hearing. That has not been scheduled yet but is expected in the coming weeks.
Takeaways from the transcripts from the deposition:
FIRMLY DENIED PRESIDENT’S INVOLVEMENT
Hunter Biden’s central point to his seven hours of testimony was that is father was never involved in his business pursuits and said all of the payments referenced by investigators who have subpoenaed bank records and other financial statements are being taken out of context or had innocent explanations.
One example of funds being transferred that lawmakers referenced was money sent by a Chinese energy company, which Hunter Biden wired to his uncle, James Biden, who later wrote a check to the president for the same some.
The White House has said that money was a personal loan between family members, but GOP investigators say it is evidence of the president benefitting from his son’s business.
“I have no knowledge or understanding or any view into this whatsoever. None of it. I have no idea. Whatever it was was between my uncle and my dad. And all I know from the public reporting is my dad loaned my uncle money, and supposedly my uncle paid him back that money. That's all I know,” he said.
In another heated exchange, Hunter Biden directly challenged GOP lawmakers to prove that he sent money to his father other than repaying him for a car loan.
“But I am telling you this: is that if you can show me where any money that I’ve ever had went to my father, other than, for instance, the repayment of the $1,300 for a loan for a truck – OK?” Hunter Biden said.
HUNTER BIDEN’S ADDICTION A CENTRAL THEME
Both Hunter Biden and lawmakers asking questions at the deposition frequently referenced his past struggles with alcohol and drug addiction, which he has been publicly open about and has been frequently reported on.
His addiction was part of his explanation for several issues raised by Republicans during the deposition, a point that frustrated some lawmakers after the hearing.
“Whenever Hunter Biden explained payments to him, he cast himself as a brilliant & experienced advisor/attorney. Whenever he had to explain the threats, shakedowns and familial overlaps with business, he was a sympathetic addict,” Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., wrote on in a post on X.
In one message sent to a Chinese associate in 2017, Hunter Biden said he was “sitting here with my father.” But during his deposition, Hunter Biden said his father was not actually with him and also said he had no recollection of sending the message at all and that he was “out of my mind” and “drunk and probably” high when he sent it.
“My father was not sitting next to me. My father had no awareness. My father had no awareness of the business that I was doing. My father never benefited from any of the business that I was doing,” Hunter Biden said.
He also raised questions about whether he remembered sending the message and cited his addiction.
“My addiction is not an excuse, but I can tell you this: I am more embarrassed of this text message, if it actually did come from me, than any text message I’ve ever sent,” he said.
HUNTER BIDEN DIDN’T PLEAD THE FIFTH
He did not use his Fifth Amendment rights to avoid answering a question as he is facing criminal charges for alleged tax violations and a weapons charge after a collapse of a plea deal with prosecutors.
Lawmakers said throughout the day coming in and out of the deposition room that the younger Biden was not pleading the Fifth, and transcripts confirmed he answered all the questions lawmakers asked of him.
They were not able to ask him about things related to the pending litigation against him like whether he paid taxes in a certain year or had purchased a weapon, which are the allegations being made against him by federal prosecutors.
HUNTER BIDEN CALLS FOR INVESTIGATION INTO JARED KUSHNER
While being pressed about money he received from Chinese businesses, Hunter Biden sought to flip the questions back onto Republicans by pointing to a $2 billion investment Saudi Arabia made into a private equity firm created by Jared Kushner, former President Donald Trump’s son-in-law who also served in his administration.
“When Jared Kushner flies over to Saudi Arabia, picks up $2 billion, comes back, and puts it in his pocket, OK, and (Trump) is running for President of the United States, you guys have any problem with that?”
“The clock has stopped,” Gaetz said.
“No, the clock has not stopped. Do you guys have any problem with that? I’m asking. It’s unbelievable to me,” Hunter Biden responded.
The transaction Hunter Biden referenced was made shortly after Trump left office, a distinction Republicans have pointed to between the two cases as several of the younger Biden’s business deals happened while his father was serving as vice president. It did draw scrutiny from Democrats, who opened an investigation into the matter that was dropped when Republicans retook the majority in the 2022 midterms.
But Hunter Biden denied ever receiving money from a foreign government.
“I never worked for a country. I am not Jared Kushner. I never got money from a country. Not one foreign government ever gave me money, guys — none, zero, not one,” Hunter Biden said.
WHAT COMES NEXT?
As the deposition was wrapping up, Rep. James Comer, the chairman of the Oversight Committee that is leading the inquiry, confirmed the next step of the investigation will be a public hearing.
The path forward toward impeaching the president appears to be tenuous for its supporters with a tight majority in the House and several Republican lawmakers who are skeptical there was enough evidence to even warrant opening a formal inquiry.
A full House vote is certain to face unified Democratic opposition and would also not pass in the Senate, where Democrats have a majority and multiple GOP senators have been skeptical of the House efforts.