Hunter Biden appears before lawmakers behind closed doors for an investigation into his family's business dealings

AP

Hunter Biden appeared on Wednesday for a closed-door questioning with lawmakers, as the Republicans' investigation into the business dealings of President Joe Biden's family seems to be on the brink of collapse.

The 14-month investigation focuses on Biden's son and his work abroad for clients in Ukraine, China, Romania, and other countries. Republicans claim that these business dealings involved corruption and influence peddling by Joe Biden, particularly when he was vice president.

However, after conducting dozens of interviews and obtaining over 100,000 pages of documents, Republicans have not presented any direct evidence of illegality by the president.

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Meanwhile, an FBI informant who allegedly revealed a bribery scheme involving the Bidens—revelations that Republicans repeatedly cited as justification for their inquiry—is now accused of fabricating the entire story.

Despite the much at stake in the investigation, it is unclear how much information Republicans will be able to extract from Hunter Biden in the questioning. He is under federal investigation and has been indicted on nine federal charges of violating tax rules and one charge of weapons possession in Delaware, which means he can refuse to answer questions citing the Fifth Amendment.

The task of questioning Hunter falls primarily on Republican congressmen James Comer and Jim Jordan, who lead the inquiry. They initially called Hunter Biden to testify in November, demanding a private appearance. However, he and his lawyers refused, warning that his testimony could be selectively leaked and manipulated. They insisted that Hunter Biden testify in public.

On the day he was called to testify, Hunter Biden not only defied the lawmakers waiting for him in a hearing room but did so by holding a press conference just outside the Capitol, where he denounced the investigation into his family.

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The two parties eventually reached an agreement in January for Hunter Biden to attend the private hearing, but with conditions. The hearing will not be filmed, and Republicans committed to promptly releasing the transcript.

"Our committees have the opportunity to question Hunter Biden, a key witness in our impeachment investigation against President Joe Biden, about his evidence," said Comer, chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, in a statement to The Associated Press. "This questioning is not the conclusion of the impeachment investigation. There will be more subpoenas and more witness interviews."