Takeaways from Hunter Biden’s closed-door deposition with House Republicans

Kicking off his highly anticipated testimony, President Joe Biden’s son delivered an opening statement that defended his father and attacked the Republican-led impeachment inquiry, issuing a defiant message ahead of hours of interrogation.

“For more than a year, your committees have hunted me in your partisan political pursuit of my dad,” Hunter Biden said, according to a copy of his opening statement. “You have trafficked in innuendo, distortion, and sensationalism – all the while ignoring the clear and convincing evidence staring you in the face. You do not have evidence to support the baseless and MAGA-motivated conspiracies about my father because there isn’t any.”

Hunter Biden arrived at 10 a.m. ET for his closed-door deposition before the House Oversight and Judiciary committees, an interview that is expected to last most of the day. During breaks in the hearing, Democrats and Republicans offered their spin on the proceedings – not surprisingly offering diametrically opposing views on what was being asked and answered behind closed doors.

House Oversight Chairman James Comer, a Kentucky Republican, said ahead of the deposition Wednesday morning that Hunter Biden’s appearance “is a big day,” but also that it didn’t mark the end of his investigation – even as the impeachment inquiry is facing serious skepticism even within the GOP conference as it has failed to turn up evidence implicating President Joe Biden and a key allegation about bribery was discredited.

Here are key takeaways so far from Hunter Biden’s deposition:

Hunter doesn’t mince words attacking GOP

Hunter Biden’s opening statement at Wednesday’s deposition served two purposes: He made clear his father was not involved in his business and he took a swipe at Republicans who have accused him and his father of corruption.

“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,” Hunter Biden said.

Hunter Biden accused Republicans of pursuing a “baseless and destructive political charade,” charging that the impeachment investigation was built on an “entire partisan house of cards on lies.”

Among those the president’s son pointed to was ex-FBI informant Alexander Smirnov, who was charged earlier this month for lying to the FBI about a Ukrainian company paying millions of dollars in bribes to Joe and Hunter Biden. The indictment was a significant blow to the GOP investigation – as Republicans had been touting the unverified allegations from the ex-informant as a key rationale for the inquiry.

Hunter Biden acknowledged in his statement that he had made mistakes, pointing to his battle with addiction. He’s also facing federal tax and gun charges stemming from a years-long investigation by David Weiss, the US attorney for Delaware who was appointed as special counsel last year.

“To be clear, I have made mistakes in my life, and I have squandered opportunities and privileges that were afforded to me. I know that. I am responsible for that. And I am making amends for that,” Hunter Biden said. “But my mistakes and shortcomings are my own and not my father’s, who has done nothing but devote his entire life to public service and trying to make this country a better place to live.”

What’s happening inside the room? Depends who you ask

During the first break in the closed-door deposition, lawmakers from both parties took turns at the cameras outside the hearing room to offer their spin on what was occurring inside.

The Democrats went first, taking turns accusing the Republicans of wasting government resources pursuing the impeachment inquiry and embarrassing themselves with their questions of the president’s son.

“What we saw I think was a rather embarrassing spectacle, where the Republicans continue to belabor completely trivial points they seem to be obsessively focused on,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee.

“I believe based on this first hour that this whole thing has really been a tremendous waste of our legislative time and the people’s resources,” he said.

Rep. Nancy Mace, a South Carolina Republican, went to the camera after the Democrats were finished, saying she needed to respond to their spin.

Mace said that Hunter Biden was being “defiant and dishonest,” saying some of his answers were “in direct conflict with other witnesses,” though she would not elaborate on what she was referring to.

Mace also confirmed that Hunter Biden was answering questions and had not invoked his Fifth Amendment protections against self-incrimination. “No, he has not done that yet,” she said.

The black-and-white viewpoints out of the Hunter Biden interview is likely to continue throughout the afternoon. A transcript of the closed-door interview is expected to be released quickly, potentially as soon as 24 hours.

Not the end of the impeachment investigation

The GOP committees and Hunter Biden’s legal team negotiated for months over the terms of the interview. The Republicans ultimately agreed not to have the interview videotaped – which they have done for other interviews – as a condition for Hunter Biden to appear behind closed doors.

The concession was just one indication that Hunter Biden’s testimony is a key part of the impeachment investigation. “Obviously, this is a big day,” Comer said before entering the hearing room Wednesday morning.

Comer has said the impeachment inquiry will continue after the Hunter Biden deposition, though he said Wednesday that he’s ready to begin closing the probe. There doesn’t appear to be enough support in the GOP conference to support articles of impeachment against President Biden, where Republicans would need near unanimous support with a razor-thin majority in the House.

“As long as we keep getting new information in, we’re going to continue to pursue. I’m ready to try to begin to close this investigation” Comer said.

Comer said he plans to issue a final report and hold a public hearing.

CNN’s Aileen Graef contributed to this report.

The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.