Hunter Biden willing to testify in House Oversight Committee's inquiry into his actions: Report

United States President Joe Biden's son Hunter is willing to testify in the House Oversight Committee's inquiry into his actions on Dec 13, CNN reported on Tuesday (Nov 28). In a letter sent to the committee, Hunter's lawyers said he would only testify if done publicly.

“We have seen you use closed-door sessions to manipulate, even distort the facts and misinform the public. We therefore propose opening the door. If, as you claim, your efforts are important and involve issues that Americans should know about, then let the light shine on these proceedings,” the letter said, CNN reported.

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An offer to testify at a public hearing does not guarantee it will happen. Federal courts have upheld the authority of House committees to subpoena private people and entities.

'Hunter trying to play by his own rules'

House Oversight Chair James Comer rejected the idea that a public hearing should replace Hunter's scheduled deposition but agreed that he should have the opportunity to testify publicly at some point.

“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. Our lawfully issued subpoena to Hunter Biden requires him to appear for a deposition on December 13,” Comer told CNN.

“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,” he added.

House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, who also issued the president's son a subpoena, said in a post on X, "We are glad that Hunter Biden has decided to cooperate and we look forward to hearing from him in a deposition on December 13 and subsequently at a public hearing."

Earlier in November, the committee subpoenaed Hunter and his brother James. This was the first time that the panel directly subpoenaed members of the Biden family.

The committee also subpoenaed an assistant lawyer working on Hunter’s criminal case after whistleblowers with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) alleged political interference in the case.

(With inputs from agencies)