Republican impeachment probe 'baseless,' US president's son Hunter Biden
says
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[February 29, 2024]
By Makini Brice
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden struck
a defiant tone on Wednesday at a Republican-led House of Representatives
impeachment inquiry into his father, calling it a "baseless" partisan
pursuit against his family.
"For more than a year, your committees have hunted me in your partisan
political pursuit of my dad," the younger Biden said, according to
prepared testimony released before the closed-door hearing.
"You do not have evidence to support the baseless and MAGA-motivated
conspiracies about my father because there isn't any," Hunter Biden
said, referring to the "Make America Great Again" slogan of his father's
likely November election opponent, Donald Trump.
Asked how the hearing had gone as he left the building, Hunter Biden
replied, "Great."
Republicans, who narrowly control the House, are pushing ahead with
their impeachment inquiry even after a person who provided accusations
at the heart of their case was charged with lying to the FBI.
The hearing, which lasted nearly seven hours, came three days before the
U.S. government will run out of money to keep some agencies open if
Congress fails to act by week's end.
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Investigators asked Hunter Biden, 54, about his business activities,
including his role with Chinese firm CEFC and on the board of Ukrainian
energy company Burisma, and his personal life.
Hunter Biden's attorney, Abbe Lowell, said, "The Republican members
wanted to spend more time talking about my client's addiction than they
could ask any question that had anything to do what they call their
impeachment inquiry."
Hunter Biden has publicly discussed his past struggles with cocaine
addiction.
House Republicans have been probing the Biden family's business dealings
and have cited claims the former FBI informant made that he has now been
charged with lying about, with prosecutors warning that he had contact
with Russian intelligence agencies.
Lawmakers said there would be a public hearing with Hunter Biden, though
they did not provide details.
"I think this was a great deposition for us," said James Comer, the
chairman of the House Oversight Committee, one of the panels at the
center of the inquiry, adding later: "So this impeachment inquiry will
now go to the next phase, which is a public hearing."
House Republicans allege that Biden, a Democrat, and his family
improperly profited from policy decisions Biden participated in as vice
president during President Barack Obama's administration in 2009-17. So
far they have not presented evidence to back up these claims.
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![](../images/022924PIX/news_v43.jpg)
Hunter Biden, son of U.S. President Joe Biden, arrives for a closed
deposition with members of the Republican-led House Oversight
Committee conducting an impeachment inquiry into the president, at
the O'Neill House Office Building in Washington, U.S., February 28,
2024. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
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The White House has denied wrongdoing and says the probe is
politically motivated.
Trump has publicly encouraged the impeachment inquiry. Trump was the
only U.S. president to be impeached twice, though he was acquitted
both times by the Senate.
Most witnesses to testify to the inquiry have said the president was
not involved nor had any direct or indirect financial interest in
his family's business activities.
Prosecutors have questioned the credibility of the former informant,
Alexander Smirnov, who is now charged with lying to the FBI.
"He is actively peddling new lies that could impact U.S. elections
after meeting with Russian intelligence officials in November,"
prosecutors wrote in a court document.
House Republicans downplayed the arrest and prosecution. House
Democrats, meanwhile, said it was proof the impeachment inquiry
should be abandoned.
It is not clear when or if House Republicans will make a decision on
whether to draft articles of impeachment against the president.
Hardline Republicans have publicly called for the impeachment of
Biden and other Cabinet officials. Earlier this month, the House
approved the impeachment of Alejandro Mayorkas, Biden's top border
official, accusing him of failing to enforce border laws. The Senate
has not yet taken it up.
Hunter Biden faces other legal challenges. Prosecutors have levied
charges related to tax fraud and for illegally owning a firearm as a
drug user. The younger Biden, who has spoken publicly about previous
substance abuse issues, has pleaded not guilty in both cases.
(Reporting by Makini Brice; Editing by Scott Malone, Jonathan Oatis
and Daniel Wallis)
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