House Republicans: Hunter Biden Agrees to Testify

Facts

• The Republican-led US House Oversight Committee announced Thursday that Hunter Biden, the son of Democratic Pres. Joe Biden, has agreed to testify behind closed doors on Feb. 28 as part of the House impeachment inquiry into the elder Biden.¹
• The House had planned to take to the floor to vote on a contempt resolution against Hunter Biden, but they put off that process amid deliberations with the younger Biden's lawyers.²
• Republicans subpoenaed the president's son late last year, but he initially insisted he would only testify in public over concerns that his comments could be taken out of context when made public.³
• Members of the Judiciary, Oversight, and Ways and Means Committees — the three councils leading the impeachment probe — will be allowed to question Hunter Biden at the hearing.³
• The House GOP alleges Joe Biden benefited financially from his son's foreign business dealings. No evidence has been revealed linking the president directly to his son's deals.¹
• Meanwhile, Hunter Biden is facing criminal firearms charges in Delaware and federal tax evasion charges filed by special counsel David Weiss.²

Sources: ¹USA Today, ²NPR Online News and ³ABC News.

Narratives

• Republican narrative, as provided by Townhall. After all his stunts, Hunter Biden has realized that he's not above the law, and the risk of being held in contempt is real. So now this probe can unfold as it should, as interviews with several Biden associates are already lined up. Republicans can finally get Hunter Biden on the record about his misdeeds and his father's role in them.
• Democratic narrative, as provided by Newsweek. Hunter Biden has nothing to hide and has tried to cooperate with the Republicans' probe for some time now. His only concern about a private deposition is the Republicans' history of publicly distorting statements made behind closed doors. Once the younger Biden goes on the record about his father's innocence, this GOP witch hunt will be over.

Predictions