Hunter Biden's answers were very different from his associates: Rep. James Comer
Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., tells 'Hannity' why he invited Hunter Biden and three of his business associates to appear at a public hearing.
Hunter Biden will not attend a House Oversight Committee hearing next week regarding alleged influence peddling and the Biden family's business dealings, his lawyer said in a letter Wednesday.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., invited Hunter Biden, Tony Bobulinski, Devon Archer and Jason Galanis to testify at a public hearing on March 20 at 10 a.m.
All four individuals have already testified behind closed doors as part of the impeachment inquiry, but Comer said the public hearing would "examine inconsistencies among the witnesses’ testimonies in order to get the truth for the American people."
But on Wednesday, Biden attorney Abbe Lowell sent a letter to Comer, blasting the hearing and the investigation altogether, and rejecting the invitation to what he called a "carnival side show."
From left to right, Hunter Biden, Tony Bobulinski and Devon Archer. (AP/J. Scott Applewhite/Reuters/Tom Brenner/Kevin Wurm)
"To begin, even if that hearing was a legitimate exercise of congressional authority, neither Mr. Biden nor I can attend because of a court hearing the very next day in California," Lowell said. "The scheduling conflict is the least of the issues, however."
"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," Lowell continued.
Lowell reminded Comer of a statement he made in January when he said: "All we need are people to come in for the depositions and then we’ll be finished. We just need people to show up to the depositions and we’ll wrap this up. Nobody wants to wrap this up more than I do."
Lowell said his client, the president's son, "did just as you asked and, as you did when you announced that witnesses could choose depositions, you want to ignore what you said."
"I must confess my surprise by your hasty request," Lowell wrote. "After that six-plus hour deposition on February 28, 2024, along with the realization that your inquiry was based on a patchwork of conspiracies spun by convicted liars and a charged Russian spy, I thought even you would recognize your baseless impeachment proceeding was dead."
Hunter Biden, son of U.S. President Joe Biden, departs a House Oversight Committee meeting at Capitol Hill on January 10, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
Lowell said that "even before Mr. Biden testified, witness after witness undermined the central premise of your partisan charade."
"President Biden has done nothing wrong and certainly nothing, even in your misapplication of the impeachment provisions of the Constitution, to warrant further proceedings," Lowell said.
Lowell added that Hunter Biden's answers to questions during his deposition "were the final nail in the coffin of your wasteful year-long misadventure."
"As Mr. Biden said numerous times, backed up by an accurate reference to the records in the Committees’ possession, his father was never involved in or derived any financial benefit from Mr. Biden’s businesses," Lowell said. "Your allegations of any wrongdoing by anyone comes only from your taking a word, phrase, or line out of context in a few communications usually written by people other than Mr. Biden or when Mr. Biden explained he was in the throes of addiction."
Hunter Biden, left, son of President Joe Biden, arrives with attorney Abbe Lowell at the O'Neill House Office Building for a closed-door deposition in a Republican-led investigation into the Biden family, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
He added: "In total, your entire house of cards impeachment inquiry is built on one of those isolated texts, a drop-by hello at a dinner where Mr. Biden was pitching support for the World Food Program, a handshake hello in the lobby of a hotel, one of your colleagues not knowing the difference between ‘having a meeting’ and ‘meeting’ someone, Mr. Biden’s father chipping in to pay his share of a family bill, or Mr. Biden’s uncle paying back a loan he owed."
Lowell said all of that is "far from the ‘smoking guns’ you claim," and said "the ‘evidence’ does not amount even to droplets from a water pistol."
Meanwhile, as for the March 20 hearing, Lowell said it is "not a serious oversight proceeding."
"It is your attempt to resuscitate your Conference’s moribund inquiry with a made-for-right-wing-media, circus act," he said. "Your idea of congressional ‘fact-finding’ is, amazingly, to have Mr. Biden appear with the discredited ‘witnesses’ you continue to promote."
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Lowell went on to blast Bobulinski and Galanis, claiming they have lied.
"Mr. Biden declines your invitation to this carnival side show," Lowell wrote.
Comer responded Wednesday, saying his committee has "called Hunter Biden's bluff."
"Hunter Biden for months stated he wanted a public hearing, but now that one has been offered alongside his business associates that he worked with for years, he is refusing to come," Comer said. "During our deposition and interview phase of our investigation, Hunter 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."
But Comer again said that parts of the first son's testimony "contradict the testimonies" of Archer, Galanis and Bobulinski.
"Next week’s hearing with Hunter Biden and his associates is moving forward and we fully expect Hunter Biden to participate," Comer said. "The American people demand the truth and accountability for the Bidens’ corruption."
Comer, appearing on Fox News Channel Tuesday, also accused the White House of "colluding with the mainstream media," saying his committee didn't receive the Lowell letter "for over an hour."
"I'm shocked because all I've heard from Hunter Biden is that he wanted to come and have a public hearing and now we have a venue for a public hearing and he's declining to come," Comer said. "The media attacked me for weeks because we wouldn't allow him to testify in public. Well, now we are. What's the media going to do now?"
Comer had subpoenaed Hunter Biden for a deposition scheduled for early December, but the president's son defied that subpoena for a closed-door deposition, demanding a public hearing instead. Comer vowed to give Hunter Biden that public hearing after the committee had him for a deposition--like all other witnesses.
"When you're investigating a family for this level of corruption you deserve the truth, the American people deserve the truth," Comer said. "We're giving Hunter Biden a venue to testify publicly."
He added: "I think he'll be there. We expect him to be there and we look forward to seeing him next week."
Devon Archer, Hunter Biden’s former business partner, arrives at the O'Neill House Office Building before testifying to the House Oversight Committee on Capitol Hill on July 31, 2023 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Hunter Biden appeared for a highly-anticipated deposition last month before both the House Oversight and Judiciary committees and maintained that his father was never involved in and never benefited from his businesses.
The committee also heard testimony from James Biden, the president’s younger brother, who testified the same.
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Hunter Biden did admit, however, that he put his father on speakerphone with his business associates and invited him to drop by his business lunches.
Archer testified before the House Oversight Committee last year that Hunter Biden put his father on speakerphone at least 20 times with business associates.
Jason Galanis worked with Hunter Biden's partner Devon Archer before pleading guilty to fraud. (Facebook Profile)
And Bobulinski testified he personally met with Joe Biden in 2017 for more than 45 minutes. He also testified that Joe Biden "enabled" his son Hunter to sell access to America's "most dangerous adversaries," including the Chinese Communist Party, Russia and more.
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Meanwhile, Galanis, who is serving a 14-year sentence, testified from prison that Joe Biden was allegedly considering joining the board of a joint venture created by Hunter Biden and his business associates with ties to the Chinese Communist Party after he left the vice presidency.
Galanis also said that the words "lean in" were "used often by Devon and Hunter in our business dealings as a term for access to Vice President Biden’s political influence."
Bobulinski told Fox News Digital he will attend the hearing on March 20, regardless of whether Hunter Biden attends.
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