Hunter Biden appeared on Capitol Hill on Wednesday for a closed-door deposition with lawmakers, a crucial moment for Republicans as their impeachment inquiry into his father and the family’s business affairs teeters on the brink.

I am here today to provide the committees with the one indisputable fact that should put an end to the false premise of this investigation: I did not involve my father in my affairs, Hunter Biden said in an opening statement obtained by

T

he Associated Press.

The statement could mark a turning point for the 14-month Republican investigation into the Biden family.

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has focused on Hunter Biden and his overseas work for clients in Ukraine, China, Romania and other countries. Republicans have long questioned whether these business dealings involve corruption and influence

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peddled by President Biden, especially when he was vice president.

But after conducting dozens of interviews and obtaining more than 100,000 pages of documents, Republicans have still not been able to produce direct evidence of presidential misconduct. Meanwhile, an FBI informant who alleged bribery involving the Bidens, a claim Republicans had repeatedly cited to justify their investigation, is being charged by federal prosecutors who accuse him of fabricating the story.

FBI informant accused of lying about Joe and Hunter Biden’s ties to Ukrainian energy company

Despite the efforts of their investigation, it remains unclear how much useful information Republicans will be able to extract from Hunter Biden during the deposition. He is under federal investigation and has been charged in Delaware on nine federal tax charges and a firearms charge, meaning he could refuse to answer certain questions by standing up for himself.

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The job of interviewing Hunter falls primarily on the representatives. James Komer

of Kentucky

and Jim Jordan

of Ohio

, the Republican chairmen leading the impeachment inquiry. They first subpoenaed Hunter Biden in November, demanding he appear privately before lawmakers. Biden and his lawyers declined to warn that his testimony could be selectively leaked and manipulated. They insisted that Hunter Biden testify only in public.

On the day of the subpoena, Hunter Biden not only dismissed the lawmakers waiting for him in a hearing room, but he

so it

as he appeared just outside the Capitol and held a news conference where he denounced the investigation into his family.

Both sides eventually agreed to a private statement in January with a series of conditions

:

The Hunter Biden interview

would would

not being filmed and Republicans

have agreed to do so

please release the transcript soon.

Our committees have the opportunity to impeach Hunter Biden, a key witness in our impeachment inquiry against President Joe Biden, over this evidence, House Oversight Committee Chairman Comer said in a statement to

T

he Associated Press. This statement is not the conclusion of the impeachment inquiry. There will be more submissions and witness interviews to come.

Hunter Biden pleads not guilty to federal tax charges in LA

Hunter will be the second member of the Biden family to be questioned by Republicans in recent days. Last week they conducted a more than eight-hour interview with James Biden, the president’s brother. He insisted on legislating that Joe Biden never had any involvement, financial or otherwise, in his business ventures.

Looming over the interview are developments on the other side of the country in Nevada, where federal prosecutors this month charged an FBI informant, Alexander Smirnov, alleging a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme involving the president, his son Hunter and a Ukrainian energy company. Prosecutors allege in court documents that Smirnov has had extensive and extremely recent contact with people linked to Russian intelligence.

Smirnov’s lawyers have said he is presumed innocent.

Republicans pressured the FBI last summer over the informant’s claims, demanding to see the underlying documents and ultimately make the unverified information public. The claim was repeatedly cited in letters House Republicans sent to impeachment witnesses.

Many Republican lawmakers say they have not yet seen evidence of the high crimes and misdemeanors required for impeachment, despite alleged efforts by members of the Biden family to use the last name for corporate payments at home and abroad.

Republicans continue to disparage Hunter Biden after his surprise visit to the Capitol

But the Republican leaders leading the impeachment effort are undeterred by the series of setbacks in their major investigation. Jordan, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said last week that the informant indictment does not change the basic facts that the Biden family sought to capitalize on the family name in several foreign companies.

And Comer told Fox News on Tuesday that Smirnov was never a key part of this investigation.”

Both Comer and Jordan have pushed for the

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For the past year, their investigation has focused solely on Joe Biden and what actions, if any, he took as vice president or president on behalf of his family. But at almost every turn, their investigation had a consistent and heavy focus on Hunter Biden. Several lines of inquiry have been opened into Hunter’s international business affairs, his art sales, and even his personal life and ongoing battle with addiction.

Meanwhile, Hunter Biden has no shortage of legal troubles on Capitol Hill as he faces criminal charges in two states over a special counsel investigation. He faces gun counts in Delaware and claims he violated laws against drug users with guns in 2018, a time during which he has admitted to struggling with addiction. Special counsel David Weiss filed additional charges late last year, alleging he failed to pay approximately $1.4 million in taxes over three years.

He has pleaded not guilty in both cases.