Hunter Biden would be willing to testify with new House subpoena, lawyer says

[January 13, 2024]   WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden would be willing to testify in a public hearing or a deposition if Republicans in the House of Representatives issued a new subpoena, his lawyer said on Friday.

Hunter Biden, son of U.S. President Joe Biden, sits with his attorney Abbe Lowell as he makes a surprise appearance at a House Oversight Committee markup and meeting to vote on whether to hold Biden in contempt of Congress for failing to respond to a request to testify to the House last month, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., January 10, 2024. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo

The offer, made in a letter to the chairs of the House Oversight Committee and House Judiciary Committee, comes two days after the panels moved ahead with historic efforts to hold Hunter Biden, 53, in contempt and he made a surprise appearance at one of the hearings.

House Republicans had sought, via a subpoena, a closed-door deposition with the younger Biden as part of their impeachment inquiry into the president. They say the Biden family improperly profited from policy decisions the president participated in as vice president in 2009-17. The White House and Hunter Biden deny wrongdoing.

Hunter Biden had refused to participate in a closed-door interview, offering instead to answer questions in a public hearing.

The subpoena was invalid because it was issued before the House held a full vote authorizing its impeachment inquiry, Hunter Biden's lawyer Abbe Lowell argued in the letter.

"If you issue a new proper subpoena, now that there is a duly authorized impeachment inquiry, Mr. Biden will comply for a hearing or deposition," Lowell wrote.

James Comer and Jim Jordan, the chairs of the committees, said the House would continue to move forward with the contempt resolutions until the younger Biden confirmed a date to appear for a deposition.

"While we will work to schedule a deposition date, we will not tolerate any additional stunts or delay from Hunter Biden," they said in a joint statement.

They did not state if they would issue a new subpoena.

The House is scheduled to move ahead with the contempt resolution next week.

Hunter Biden is embroiled in several legal disputes aside from the congressional probes. On Thursday he pleaded not guilty in a California federal court to tax charges. He has also pleaded not guilty in a separate case in Delaware over lying about his illegal drug use when he bought a gun.

(Reporting by Makini Brice; Editing by Scott Malone, Rosalba O'Brien and Cynthia Osterman)

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