During a recent joint hearing held by the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees, Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, declined to appear, prompting mixed reactions from lawmakers.
While some House Republicans expressed amusement at Hunter's absence, joking about turning it into a game, several Democrats argued that he had already answered enough questions and that the impeachment inquiry should come to a close.
The focus of the hearing was on foreign business dealings and allegations of influence peddling within the Biden family. Instead of hearing from Hunter Biden directly, the inquiry heard testimonies from his former business associates, Tony Bobulinski and Jason Galanis, as well as Lev Parnas, a witness brought in by House Democrats.
Republican Rep. Mike Kelly remarked on Hunter's history of being 'MIA,' while Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez criticized the inquiry as a 'joke,' citing concerns about the credibility of sources involved.
Recent developments have raised further questions, with former FBI informant Alexander Smirnov facing charges related to spreading false information about the Biden family's business dealings, allegedly after meeting with Russian intelligence officials.
Republican Rep. Carlos Giménez suggested humorously turning Hunter Biden's whereabouts into a game, speculating that he may have avoided testifying to prevent potential falsehoods under oath.
Hunter Biden's lawyer, Abbe Lowell, cited a court hearing in California as the reason for his absence, calling the Republicans' request 'hasty.' Despite rejecting a subpoena in November, Hunter unexpectedly appeared at a congressional committee hearing in January and testified behind closed doors in February.
The ongoing controversy surrounding Hunter Biden's involvement in the impeachment inquiry continues to raise questions about foreign influence and transparency in political dealings.
