House Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., told Newsmax that Hunter Biden’s subpoena to provide a closed-door deposition before a House panel is not negotiable.
Appearing Tuesday on “Rob Schmitt Tonight,” Smith explained that President Joe Biden’s son was in no place to demand public testimony before his private statements to the House Oversight Committee.
“I think it’s maybe just a political statement,” Smith said of Hunter Biden’s lawyers call to skip a closed deposition.
“But subpoenas aren’t negotiable,” Smith noted. “The subpoena that was issued for him is for him to come in on Dec. 13 for depositions.”
The congressman explained that even former President Donald Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., had to come in for a private deposition before the House panel investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots.
A couple of years before that, Trump Jr. also appeared before the Senate Intelligence Committee to provide deposition surrounding Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
“Why should Hunter Biden be treated any differently than other president’s kids?” Smith asked.
On Nov. 8, Rep. James Comer subpoenaed Hunter Biden alongside Joe Biden’s brother, James Biden, and a former business associate in connection to a probe of the Biden family’s foreign business dealings.
The Kentucky Republican, who chairs the House Oversight Committee, later issued five more subpoenas to the family’s former business associates, including Hunter Biden’s art patron, Elizabeth Naftali.
While Hunter Biden’s lawyer Abbe Lowell said his client would cooperate with the committee in a Tuesday letter, The Washington Post reported that he would only do it if it is a public hearing.
“A public proceeding would prevent selective leaks, manipulated transcripts, doctored exhibits, or one-sided press statements,” Lowell insisted in the letter.
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Luca Cacciatore ✉
Luca Cacciatore, a Newsmax general assignment writer, is based in Arlington, Virginia, reporting on news and politics.
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