Hunter Biden, the son of United States President Joe Biden, is scheduled to appear for deposition before GOP committees over Republicans' attempt to impeach the Democratic leader.
The closed-door deposition with the president's son will involve the House Oversight and Judiciary committees. The two committees said that it would come after several interviews with Biden family members and associates.
The announcement of the deposition was made by House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chair James Comer and House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan. The confirmed date for Hunter's deposition is seen as a crucial development for House GOP lawmakers.
It comes amid their attempts, for months, to get his testimony as part of their multi-pronged impeachment inquiry into his father. GOP lawmakers have been looking into Hunter's business activities and personal life, probing what they call "influence peddling" by him while his father was vice president under the Obama administration, as per The Hill.
The news of Hunter's deposition marks the culmination of several weeks of back-and-forth between the defendant's team and the GOP-led committees over securing testimony. Last week, the situation reached its peak when Republican lawmakers advanced a resolution to hold Hunter in contempt of Congress for dyeing a subpoena in December.
In November last year, the panels issued Hunter a subpoena, requesting that he sit for a closed-door deposition the month after. However, his team insisted that he participate in a public hearing rather than a private proceeding.
They argued that their request was born out of concern that the panels would selectively leak and misconstrue his testimony. Instead of accepting the invitation for a closed-door deposition, Hunter instead delivered a statement outside of the Capitol where he said, "My father was not financially involved in my business."
The situation comes after GOP lawmakers previously warned Hunter that they were planning to move forward with efforts to have the full House of Representatives vote on a resolution to hold the president's son in contempt of Congress, according to CNBC.
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Legal Controversy
Comer and Jordan issued a joint statement, warning Hunter that they would not tolerate any "additional stunts or delay" from the president's son. They added that the American people will not tolerate and the House will not provide special treatment for the Biden family.
This came after Hunter's team made an offer where they planned to accept appearing for a private deposition. If he was to be found in contempt of Congress, the Department of Justice would have been forced to consider whether or not to prosecute him for failing to comply with the prior subpoenas.
The entire controversy revolves around the GOP's belief that the president was involved in his son's dealings in countries such as China and Ukraine. Republican lawmakers have pointed to Biden's array of contacts with their associates, said the New York Post.
Despite Republicans' attempts, their inquiry has so far failed to show direct evidence showing that the president broke the law or committed any other wrongdoing. These allegations include benefiting financially from Hunter's actions.
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