House Oversight Committee chairman James Comer (R., Ky.) pulled no punches in his response to Hunter Biden’s decision not to testify publicly in contrast to his previous demands for a public hearing.
Comer wrote a letter Friday to Hunter Biden’s attorney, Abbe D. Lowell, making the case for Biden to testify publicly alongside former business partners Devon Archer, Tony Bobulinski, and Jason Galanis at a hearing scheduled to take place next week.
“Only a few months ago, Hunter Biden demanded—outside the United States Capitol—a public hearing where he would answer questions in front of the American people. After facing questions during a deposition, Mr. Biden decided to reverse his position. The only conclusion that one can reach is that Mr. Biden knows his public testimony would not withstand scrutiny,” Comer wrote.
Comer proceeded to counter Lowell’s assertions that he is cherry-picking evidence against his client and creating a media spectacle. Democrats and Lowell himself spoke to reporters immediately following Hunter Biden’s testimony, before the transcript of it was publicly disclosed, Comer notes. A public hearing would give Biden the chance to counter the supposedly selectively produced evidence against him.
Hunter Biden testified last month before the Oversight Committee and Judiciary Committee for the impeachment inquiry into his father, President Joe Biden, over the apparent role Joe played in his son’s lucrative foreign business dealings with individuals and entities based in Ukraine, Russia, China, Romania and Kazakhstan.
While Hunter Biden repeatedly denied that his father was involved in his business enterprise, the younger Biden confirmed that his father met multiple foreign business partners and spoke to business associates on speakerphone, corroborating significant aspects of the testimony given by Archer and Bobulinski. Archer and Hunter Biden worked together on the board of Ukrainian energy company Burisma Holdings and once had a close relationship.
On the other hand, Hunter Biden harshly criticized Bobulinski for supposedly being arrogant and disgruntled because the deal he negotiated with Chinese conglomerate CEFC fell through. Bobulinski and his attorney have strongly disputed the characterization from Hunter Biden and Democratic lawmakers.
Hunter Biden and Lowell have also noted that Galanis is serving a lengthy prison sentence for committing fraud in connection with a bond-issuance scheme. Galanis believes the Justice Department protected Hunter Biden during its criminal prosecution of him.
“As a final note, it is comical that Mr. Biden would cast aspersions upon the other witnesses who have been invited to appear alongside him. In addition to Mr. Biden, the Committee has invited three individuals with whom Mr. Biden—not the Committee—chose to do business. The Committee has selected these individuals to sit alongside Mr. Biden because his testimony contains material discrepancies regarding matters concerning his father,” Comer’s letter adds.
“President Biden has not been truthful regarding his family’s business and his own participation in it; it is time for Mr. Biden to decide whether he is going to perpetuate that dishonesty to protect his father or come clean to the American people.”
The scheduled hearing will continue without Hunter Biden’s presence.