How is Hunter Biden’s Congressional deposition different from other impeachment inquiry interviews?

Hunter Biden has said for months that he would only testify publicly before Congress.

But on Wednesday, President Joe Biden’s son is scheduled to face off behind closed doors with his Republican critics at the Capitol for a deposition.

The interview came together after months of public sniping, political stunts, threats of criminal contempt, and tough negotiations that resulted in two key concessions from Republicans. The deposition was not filmed and the recording would be released to the public immediately, a person familiar with the meeting told CNN.

Hunter Biden’s appearance Wednesday will be the most important testimony yet for the two congressional committees leading the impeachment inquiry into President Biden. The investigation focuses on Hunter Biden’s foreign business dealings.

However, this comes after the key allegations that triggered the impeachment inquiry were denied. A former FBI informant who claimed a Ukrainian group paid millions of dollars in bribes to Biden and his son Hunter is facing federal criminal charges for fabricating the story.

People familiar with the terms negotiated between Hunter Biden’s team and Congressional Republicans told CNN Wednesday’s deposition included several differences from other interviews the committee has conducted so far. He said that it has unique characteristics.

Sources said the deposition will not be videotaped. This was a significant concession on the part of Republicans, as all interviews with other business associates of the Biden family and relevant witnesses were filmed.

The two sides also agreed to conditions for the release of records as a way to avoid selective disclosure, the people said.

Typically, the chair must obtain approval from the opposing executive member of the committee to release the records, otherwise the full committee decides. Both sides assume there will be no conflict in releasing the transcript, and after careful consideration to redact sensitive information such as the names of congressional staffers, it will be released quickly, possibly within 24 hours after the deposition concludes. It may be published within the next few days.

Sources said House Oversight Chairman James Comer always intended to release Hunter’s deposition as soon as possible.

Hunter Biden’s team has expressed concern that Republicans are taking portions of the interview out of context, and the current agreement not only prohibits the dissemination of some video snippets. , it is also guaranteed that the complete record will be made public.

Both sides were in a stalemate. Hunter Biden’s lawyers insisted he would testify only in public, but Comer insisted a hearing would follow the private deposition. According to multiple sources, there are currently no plans to hold a public hearing or to discuss the matter.

A spokesperson for the oversight committee said the committee intends to hold a public hearing. “As with any investigation, the committee is currently in the deposition and interview phase, and will then proceed to a public hearing,” the spokesperson said.

Wednesday’s deposition will be the largest interview yet for the beleaguered Republican impeachment inquiry. The impeachment inquiry has focused on questions about Hunter Biden’s overseas business, but has found no evidence that Joe Biden was involved in his son’s business dealings.

Later, the Justice Department’s indictment of former FBI informant Alexander Smirnov was a further blow. Republicans repeatedly pointed to Smirnov’s allegations as the reason they launched an impeachment inquiry against Joe Biden last fall. But the charges invalidated the impeachment charge, which had already been met with skepticism within the House Republican conference.

Mr. Comer and Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, who are leading the impeachment inquiry, have sought to downplay the significance of the informant’s allegations and deviate from their statements.

Jordan wrote a long message. post On Monday’s X, he laid out his case against the Bidens, making no mention of bribery but making long-false claims about Joe Biden, Burisma, and the firing of a Ukrainian prosecutor when Biden was vice president. I raised it.

Hunter’s lawyers were primarily concerned about selective leaks, and Comer said the president’s son would receive no special treatment from the committee, so for months no Hunter interviews were given at all. It seemed as though it would not take place.

Hunter Biden appeared in Washington on the same day Republicans originally scheduled him to testify under oath in December, but instead of appearing for questions, he held a press conference outside the Capitol.

Comer and Jordan moved to insult Hunter Biden the following month. While the committees were debating the contempt resolution, Hunter Biden again made a surprise appearance at the Capitol, sitting briefly in committee rooms and quietly confronting Republicans, causing an uproar on both sides of the aisle.

Two days after the committee approved the contempt resolution on a party-line vote and Republicans appeared to have enough votes in the House, Hunter’s attorney Abby Lowell said the committee’s subpoena against Hunter would be filed before the Capitol. He sent a letter claiming that the letter was invalid because it had been sent to him. The impeachment inquiry was approved by the entire House.

But Lowell also wrote that Hunter would accept service of a new subpoena, which restarted negotiations between Hunter’s team and the Republican committee.

Six days later, Hunter Biden agreed to appear in a private deposition before the House voted to send the contempt resolution to the Justice Department, setting up a Wednesday showdown.