As part of the impeachment investigation into his father, President Biden, Hunter Biden has now consented to answer closed-door questions before House lawmakers next month.
This averts an effort to hold him in contempt of Congress and paves the way for a contentious hearing centered on his previous business dealings.
A weeks-long impasse over his testimony appeared to have been resolved when the younger Biden and House Republicans agreed to schedule the deposition for February 28.
Hunter Biden initially stated that he would only testify in public, contending that House Republicans could selectively twist and leak his testimony through a closed hearing.
A week ago, however, the younger Biden’s attorney seemed to soften his posture in a letter.
Abbe Lowell, the attorney, contended that the initial subpoena issued in November, which sought his client’s testimony, was void due to the fact that House Republicans had not yet conducted a formal vote to initiate an impeachment investigation into President Biden.
Lowell has now stated that the younger Biden would agree to sit for a deposition if a “new proper subpoena, now that there is a duly authorized impeachment inquiry.”
House leaders announced in a joint statement on Thursday that interviews with additional Biden family members and associates were scheduled for the coming weeks.
No response was given by Lowell to a request for comment. According to a source with knowledge of the negotiations, Hunter Biden’s legal team has been in conversation with House staff regarding how he should address concerns regarding selective disclosures of his testimony.
A resolution by the entire House to find the president’s son guilty of contempt would have led to a referral for prosecution to the Justice Department, thereby subjecting him to a potential third legal case in addition to the two indictments he is currently facing on federal charges.
Hunter Biden entered a not guilty plea in Delaware last year on gun charges, and in Los Angeles last week on charges that he evaded taxes on millions of dollars in income from foreign businesses.
[READ MORE: NATO Warns of Impending Full-Scale War With Russia]
