For months, Hunter Biden said he would only testify before Congress if it was in public. But President Joe Biden's son will now go behind closed doors on Wednesday to face his Republican critics at the Capitol for a statement.
The interview came together after months of public criticism, political stunts, threats of criminal contempt and tough negotiations that resulted in two key concessions from Republicans: that the statement will not be filmed and that the transcript will be made public quickly, according to sources. . familiar with the conversations he told CNN.
Hunter Biden's appearance on Wednesday represents the most significant testimony to date for the two congressional committees leading the impeachment inquiry into President Biden, an investigation that focuses largely on Hunter Biden's foreign business dealings.
Sources familiar with the terms negotiated between Hunter Biden's team and congressional Republicans told CNN that the statement will have several unique features that are different from the other interviews the committees have conducted to date:
There is no video: The statement will not be videotaped, according to multiple sources. This was a major concession by Republicans, as interviews with other Biden family business associates and related witnesses have been filmed.
Transcript publication: The two sides also agreed to the terms of transcript release as a way to avoid selective leaks, the sources said. Normally, the committee chair has to get the ranking member of the opposite party on the committee to approve the release of a transcript, or else the full committee decides. Both parties assume there will be no conflict in releasing this transcript and, after a review to redact any sensitive information, such as names of congressional staff members, it could be released quickly, potentially within 24 hours of completion of the deposition.
Read more on Hunter Biden's statement.
