Hunter Biden transcript: Five key takeaways from the closed-door deposition

Hunter Biden's testimony unveiled: Five key insights

WASHINGTON, DC: Republicans spearheading the impeachment inquiry into President Biden made public the transcript of their closed-door interview with Hunter Biden on Thursday evening, February 29. The disclosure came swiftly after Hunter Biden's lengthy interrogation behind closed doors on Capitol Hill, lasting nearly seven hours the day before. Hunter Biden's testimony is a pivotal moment in the Oversight and Judiciary committees' investigation, marking him as a central witness since the Republican-led impeachment probe commenced in September. GOP investigators had persistently sought the chance to question him directly regarding his international business dealings.

Partisan lines sharply divide House lawmakers over the investigation, a division underscored by Wednesday's spirited testimony from the president's son, which failed to bridge the gap. Republicans maintain that Hunter Biden's business ventures reek of corruption and influence peddling, allegedly enriching other family members, including the president. Democrats push back, asserting the legitimacy of the business arrangements and denying any impropriety or profiting by Joe Biden. Here are five key insights gleaned from Wednesday's deposition:

1. GOP's hunt for incriminating evidence

Hunter Biden faced intense scrutiny from Republicans hoping for damning evidence against the Biden family. Despite accusations of funneling foreign payments to relatives, Hunter provided explanations, refuting each claim without invoking his Fifth Amendment rights, The Hill reported. Republicans highlighted a payment from a Chinese energy company, alleging it implicated Joe Biden in benefiting from his son's business deals. However, Hunter explained it as a repayment of a sibling loan. “My father was never financially, nor any other way, of benefit of my business,” he declared. An email mentioning a 10 percent share "for the big guy" was also disputed by Hunter, who claimed that it was evenly distributed among business partners, leaving no room for additional beneficiaries. “Nothing [to] do with Joe Biden,” he testified. The Republican investigation took a hit when an FBI informant, accusing the Bidens of accepting bribes, was indicted for fabricating allegations just before Hunter's testimony. Representative Gerry Connolly dismissed the GOP's efforts as a "desperate attempt by our Republicans to salvage something of a totally discredited inquiry." 

2. Tragedy shadows Biden family testimony

Hunter Biden's testimony was overshadowed by personal tragedies, including the deaths of his mother, Neilia, and sister, Naomi, in 1971, and his brother Beau's death from brain cancer in 2015. Despite Republican scrutiny over including his father, President Biden, who was allegedly on speakerphone during business meetings, Hunter claimed these instances were limited in nature. The first son defended his actions, saying they "always pick up the phone," citing the close bond forged through shared loss and closeness in their family. "It is nothing nefarious literally," Biden said. "You understand my relationship with my family." He remembered their gatherings at Cafe Milano, where Hunter, his father, and associates dined together. "If my mom wasn’t there or if my mom was home in Delaware, he would, you know, stop and have a bowl of spaghetti with me or whoever I was sitting with," Hunter Biden recalled.

3. Hunter Biden's struggle with addiction

Hunter Biden's struggle with addiction was a focal point during Wednesday's deposition, notably when Rep Matt Gaetz grilled him about his time on the Burisma board. “Were you on drugs when you were on the Burisma board?” Gaetz asked, to which Biden responded, “I have been absolutely transparent about my drug use,” adding, “Was I an addict? Yes, I was an addict. What does that have to do with whether or not you’re going to go forward with an impeachment of my father other than to simply try to embarrass me?” Republicans criticized Biden's using his past addiction to his advantage, particularly regarding a controversial WhatsApp message sent in 2017 that said he was “sitting here with my father” and hounded an associate to fulfill a “commitment” or risk the Bidens' wrath. However, he denied recollection of the message. “Whenever Hunter Biden explained payments to him, he cast himself as a brilliant & experienced advisor/attorney. Whenever he had to explain the threats, shakedowns, and familial overlaps with business, he was a sympathetic addict,” Rep Matt Gaetz later posted on X.

4. Surprising focus on Jared Kushner

During Wednesday's deposition, Hunter Biden unexpectedly invoked Jared Kushner, drawing a comparison between their overseas business ventures. Kushner, former President Trump's son-in-law, founded a private equity firm post-White House, securing a significant deal with the Saudi Arabian government. This deal, worth $2 billion, raised concerns due to Kushner's prior role as a Middle East liaison and skepticism from the Saudi sovereign wealth fund's advisory panel about his firm's management. Facing scrutiny over his own foreign dealings, Hunter Biden asserted, "Unlike Jared Kushner, I've never received money from a foreign government." However, Republicans countered, alleging that Biden's connections with a Chinese energy company amounted to dealings with Beijing. Biden refuted this, saying the "anomaly of the CEFC was this: Is that they were not state-owned."

5. What comes next

After concluding Hunter Biden's deposition, Republicans are now aiming to broadcast his testimony to television screens nationwide. James Comer, the Chair of the Oversight Committee, highlighted the importance of a public hearing with Hunter Biden as the "next phase" in the impeachment inquiry. He intends to “clear up some discrepancies between some of the statements [that] were made between some of the associates and what we heard today.”