Aiexpress – Hunter Biden’s closed-door testimony before the House Oversight Committee became heated on Wednesday, as evidenced by the transcript released by the committee the next day.
The committee, led by Republicans, is investigating Hunter Biden’s business dealings and seeking to establish whether his father, President Joe Biden, gained any advantages from them. While the Bidens maintain that Joe was not involved, Republicans have been making claims for over a year that the elder Biden was unjustly enriching himself. However, they have not provided any evidence to support this sensational accusation.
Despite this, the House is pressing forward with its official impeachment inquiry into the president.
During the deposition on Wednesday, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), a member of the House Judiciary Committee involved in the investigation of Hunter Biden, focused his questioning on Biden’s business activities. Specifically, Gaetz questioned Biden’s qualifications for serving on the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company, highlighting his apparent lack of experience in the energy sector prior to taking the position.
GAETZ: What need did you fill?
BIDEN: What they — I’m not finished. What they needed was someone like Cofer Black, who had a wide range of experience in foreign policy and in that area of the world. What they needed was like — someone like President Kwasniewski, who had a real understanding of the issues and the pressures that they were under at the time, none of which were energy executives. And I don’t — I would challenge you to look at the Fortune 500 companies.
GAETZ: What need did you fill, Mr. Biden? What need did you fill?
BIDEN: What need? Was corporate governance. And I was an of counsel to Boies Schiller, one of the best law firms in the world at the time, and I, you know, specialized in corporate governance. I was the chairman of the corporate governance on the Amtrak board.
During the exchange, Gaetz questioned Biden, who has a history of drug addiction, about whether he was on drugs while serving on the board. Biden’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, chimed in to respond. In response, the witness challenged Gaetz to make eye contact.
GAETZ: Were you on drugs when you were serving as the Burisma board member?
LOWELL: I’m not objecting to that. Hold on. One of the things that I spoke to staff that you just asked about as to whether it’s outside the bounds. If you want to spend the next part of the last hour you have asking about his drug use, go at it. It’s outside the scope. It certainly has no relevance to an impeachment inquiry nor does it have anything to do with oversight of ethics legislation that may address family members of Presidents or Vice Presidents. So go at it, but it’s outside the scope and you’re wasting your time.
GAETZ: Were you on drugs when you were on the Burisma board?
BIDEN: Mr. Gaetz, look me in the eye. You really think that’s appropriate to ask me?
GAETZ: Absolutely.
BIDEN: Of all the people sitting around this table, do you think that’s appropriate to ask me?
GAETZ: Yeah. Are you going to answer it?
LOWELL: You don’t have to answer it.
BIDEN: I’m not going to answer it. I’ve been explicit about —
GAETZ: So you’re telling me —
BIDEN: I will answer it this way: I have been absolutely transparent about my drug use. Again, I spoke to you all earlier this morning about that. I’m sorry; I’m an addict. I was an addict. I have been in recovery for over 4 and a half years now, Mr. Gaetz. I work really, really hard at it. Let me answer. I work really hard at it, under an enormous amount of pressure. 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?
During his testimony, Biden provided insight into the background of a message he sent to a Chinese businessman. In the message, he falsely claimed that Joe Biden was present and waiting for the businessman to finalize a deal. However, Hunter Biden clarified that his father was not with him at that time. He also acknowledged that he was under the influence of alcohol and possibly drugs when he sent the message.
