Hunter Biden agreed Tuesday to testify before the House Oversight Committee, making a specific request that the deposition be made public.
Abbe Lowell, an attorney representing President Biden’s son, requested in a letter that the testimony be made public in response to a subpoena issued by House Oversight Committee chair Rep. James Comer (R-KY).
“We have seen you use closed door sessions to manipulate, even distort the facts and misinform the public. We therefore propose opening the door,” Lowell wrote in the letter, according to Fox News. “If, as you claim, your efforts are important and involve issues that Americans should know about, then let light shine on the proceedings.”
Comer responded in a statement to Fox News, saying Hunter is welcome to testify publicly but insisted the deposition remain closed.
“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. “Our lawfully issued subpoena to Hunter Biden requires him to appear for a deposition on December 13. We expect full cooperation with our subpoena for a deposition but also agree that Hunter Biden should have [the] opportunity to testify in a public setting at a future date.”
Comer has led the investigations into the Biden family this year as head of the House Oversight Committee. Earlier this month, he issued subpoenas to President Biden’s son, the president’s brother, James Biden, and his business associate, Rob Walker.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, the House Oversight Committee investigations have focused on allegations that President Biden’s family members used his influence to score business deals while he was vice president.
The committee sent interview requests to an extensive list of the president’s family members: James Biden’s wife; the widow of the president’s deceased son Beau; and Hunter’s current wife, Melissa Cohen.
Lowell described the investigation as a “crusade” aimed to impeach the president.
“Here we are, eleven months into your so-called investigation, and every objective review of your ‘revelations’ — including by some of your colleagues — has declared your exploration as one turning up only dry holes,” Lowell wrote in the letter, per Fox News.
Lowell claimed that the Republicans leading the investigation were hypocritical in ignoring the influence allegedly exercised by former President Donald Trump’s children.
“Unlike members of the Trump family, Hunter is a private person who has never worked in any family business nor ever served in the White House or in any public office. Notwithstanding this stark difference, you have manipulated Hunter’s legitimate business dealings and his times of terrible addiction into a politically motivated basis for hearings to accuse his father of some wrongdoing,” Lowell wrote.