As Republicans grilled Hunter Biden on Wednesday about his business deals overseas, the president’s son turned the question back on his interrogators.
He asked GOP lawmakers about foreign investments secured by Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of former President Trump, shortly after he left the White House, according to Democrats participating in the closed-door deposition.
“He drew the distinction between what he has done in a business world with independent businessmen, versus foreign governments, which he did not do any business with — unlike Jared Kushner,” Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) said during a break in the testimony.
Among other roles, Kushner oversaw Middle East policy in the Trump White House, and he raised plenty of eyebrows when he secured a $2 billion investment from Saudi Arabia six months after leaving public service.
The scrutiny mounted further when The New York Times reported that the advisory panel for the Saudi sovereign wealth fund had recommended against investing in Kushner’s newly launched private equity firm, citing “the inexperience of the … management.” The advice was overruled by a larger board led by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a close ally of the Trump administration.
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) said the questioning throughout the morning has been largely cordial, but Hunter Biden became “assertive” when invoking the Kushner episode.
“He may be a little bit frustrated by some of the double standards relating to Jared Kushner and money that’s just been openly pocketed by Donald Trump in office,” Raskin said. “And Jared Kushner of course brought back $2 billion from Saudi Arabia. And all of that has been a part of the conversation, and he was assertive about that.”
When Democrats controlled the House, they opened an investigation into Kushner’s deal with Saudi Arabia. It was dropped when Republicans flipped the chamber and Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) took the reins of the Oversight and Accountability Committee, which is now leading the impeachment investigation into Biden.
Still, Democrats said there appeared to be agreement among at least some Republicans when Hunter Biden brought up Kushner’s Saudi deal.
“There’s no cameras in there, [so] Donald Trump ain’t watching, right?” said Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.). “For the first time Republicans said they do have a problem with that. But they should do something about it.”
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Comer and the other Republicans in the room have largely declined to comment during breaks throughout Wednesday’s deposition, including on the topic of Kushner’s overseas business ventures.
Hunter Biden’s appearance on Capitol Hill has been long anticipated and comes months into House Republicans’ impeachment inquiry into President Biden. That multipronged probe has centered on the younger Biden’s business activities, alleging he used his father’s influence to orchestrate a web of shady overseas business ventures.
In his opening statement, Hunter Biden refuted the allegations.
“I am here today to provide the committees with the one uncontestable fact that should end the false premise of this inquiry: I did not involve my father in my business. Not while I was a practicing lawyer, not in my investments or transactions domestic or international, not as a board member, and not as an artist. Never,” Biden said during his opening statement.