During a closed-door deposition with the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday, Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, invoked a lack of recollection at least 29 times while being questioned by House Republicans. The deposition was part of the House Republicans’ impeachment inquiry into President Biden, focusing on Hunter’s business dealings.
Despite his numerous memory lapses, Hunter emphasized that his father was not involved in any of his foreign business ventures. The transcript revealed instances where Hunter appeared to contradict himself, creating a challenging situation for Republicans seeking incriminating evidence.
In his opening statement, Hunter declared, “I did not involve my father in my business,” but throughout the testimony, he frequently responded with variations of “I do not recall” when asked about specific business meetings and dealings. Notably, he admitted to putting Joe Biden on speakerphone in front of business associates, despite earlier asserting he never involved his father in business deals.
One point of contention revolved around an email from James Gilliar detailing the equity structure of a joint venture with CEFC, a Chinese energy company. Although Hunter claimed he never “fully read” the email, the committee found that he responded to it without rejecting the suggestion to allocate “10% for the big guy,” raising questions about his involvement.
When asked about his association with Rosemont Seneca Bohai, Hunter denied formal ties, despite receiving payments from Burisma into the company’s bank account. Contradictions surfaced when a former business partner testified that Hunter was the corporate secretary for the company.
Hunter also faced scrutiny over a meeting at Cafe Milano between his father and Vadym Pozharsky. Despite being unable to recall the exact date, he insisted it was not a formal meeting but a casual encounter at a World Food Programme dinner.
Regarding his dealings with CEFC, Hunter asserted that his father never benefited from any business deals. However, documents revealed payments to the Bidens from Walker, linked to CEFC, raising questions about the timeline and financial ties.
Throughout the deposition, Hunter maintained his stance that his father had no involvement in his business ventures, despite the inconsistencies and memory lapses in his testimony. The House Republicans’ quest for a smoking gun in the investigation did not yield significant new revelations.
