President Joe Biden's son Hunter testifies against impeachment 'charade'

Hunter Biden struck a defiant tone in a written statement ahead of Wednesday's closed-doors hearing

Joe Biden's son, Hunter, has testified to a congressional impeachment inquiry against the president, telling Republicans he did not involve his father in his business dealings.

Hunter Biden also lashed out at what he called a "baseless" investigation fuelled by "conspiracy theories".

Lawmakers are looking into whether Joe Biden benefited from any corruption. The president denies wrongdoing.

Democrats have condemned the proceedings as a political stunt.

In a written statement provided before Wednesday's closed-door hearing at the House of Representatives, the younger Biden said his testimony "should put an end to this baseless and destructive political charade".

"I did not involve my father in my business," Hunter Biden said in his prepared opening remarks to the oversight and judiciary committees.

"Not while I was a practising lawyer, not in my investments or transactions domestic or international, not as a board member, and not as an artist. Never."

He was expected to be asked about his dealings with Chinese and Ukrainian firms while his father was vice-president under Barack Obama.

House Republicans allege that Hunter Biden used his father's name as a "brand" to help enrich himself.

On Wednesday, oversight committee chairman James Comer repeated his claim that Joe Biden "knew of, participated in, and benefited from these schemes.

"Joe Biden attended dinners, spoke on speakerphone, showed up to meetings, and had coffee with his son's foreign business associates," the Kentucky congressman told US media.

"In fact, we've documented how Joe Biden has met with nearly all of his son's foreign business associates as they were collectively funnelling millions to the Bidens."

President Biden's brother James also testified last week to the committee that Joe Biden was not involved in his family's business dealings.

Other witnesses have testified that Joe Biden was more actively involved in his son's work than the president or the White House have acknowledged.

Devon Archer, an ex-business associate of Hunter and James Biden, said Joe Biden attended at least two dinners with their foreign business partners.

Mr Archer also said "nothing of material was discussed" and that he was not aware of any wrongdoing by Joe Biden.

Even some Republican lawmakers have said the 14-month inquiry has so far failed to yield evidence of the "high crimes and misdemeanours" that would merit impeaching a president under the US Constitution.

The impeachment effort suffered a setback recently when an ex-FBI informant who had accused the Bidens of accepting bribes was charged by the FBI with lying.

• Impeachment inquiry threatens Biden with election-year headache

In his written statement, Hunter Biden accused those behind the inquiry of building an "entire partisan house of cards on lies".

He also said he had made mistakes in his life and "squandered opportunities and privileges that were afforded to me". The younger Biden faces separate legal issues of his own.

But he said his father had dedicated his life to public service and helped him with his addiction struggles.

Jamie Raskin - the oversight committee's Democratic ranking member - called the proceedings "a tremendous waste of our legislative time and the people's resources".

But Republican congresswoman Nancy Mace said Hunter Biden had struck a "defiant and dishonest" tone in his answers.

The president's son initially said he would only appear at a public hearing, arguing that Republicans could distort his testimony. The standoff brought him to the brink of being held in contempt of Congress.

Because Republicans hold only a slender majority in the House, a vote to successfully impeach Mr Biden is considered a longshot.

It is still more unlikely that he would be convicted in the Democratic-controlled Senate.