Hunter Biden’s legal battle over child support in Arkansas could backfire, warned conservative attorney Jonathan Turley on Friday.
President Joe Biden‘s son appeared in Little Rock on Friday for a deposition in the paternity case involving Lunden Roberts, who has a 4-year-old daughter with Hunter. The president’s son, whose finances have been a target of House Republicans‘ investigations, is seeking to reduce the mandated $20,000-per-month child support payments to Roberts.
But his efforts to lower his child support payments could prove to be “risky” as the deposition could mark the first time Hunter has been required to testify under oath about his financial situation amid increasing scrutiny from the GOP, who have raised concerns about his financial dealings with China and Ukraine, arguing that his ties to a Chinese energy company could constitute as corruption.
“The deposition of Hunter Biden today in Arkansas is interesting because it is not clear if he has previously gone under oath directly on his finances,” Turley wrote on Twitter Friday evening. “This is why the effort to reduce child support could prove costly. The deposition is more risky due to the expanding record of transactions being uncovered by the House Oversight Committee on millions of dollars of transfers through a series of LLCs and accounts.”
The deposition of Hunter Biden today in Arkansas is interesting because it is not clear if he has previously gone under oath directly on his finances. https://t.co/hxumNjQ5QA This is why the effort to reduce child support could prove costly. https://t.co/pKkQprJXac
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) June 16, 2023
Newsweek reached out to Hunter’s legal team for comment via email.
The president’s son last appeared in court at the start of May over the case. During that appearance, Roberts’ attorneys accused Hunter’s attorneys of “playing games with this court” by not turning over financial records, NBC News reported.
Meanwhile, other legal experts have raised questions about why Hunter would want to disclose his financial records.
Former U.S. Assistant Attorney Elie Honig said during an appearance on CNN‘s The Lead last month that the president’s son “opened the door” into a financial records probe “by going back into this court to others getting access to his financial documents, including prosecutors, including Congress.”
Handout/DNCC via Getty Images
“So, it’s a questionable decision. I’m really astonished the Hunter Biden, given that he has a pending criminal investigation, and given that there are pending congressional investigations, would go back into this court and try to reopen this Pandora’s Box,” Honig added.
House Republicans continue to investigate Hunter’s finances. The GOP pledged to launch investigations into the Biden administration after retaking control of the House of Representatives last November. The House Oversight Committee last month released records they say indicate Hunter and other Biden relatives received millions of dollars from foreign sources during Joe Biden’s time serving as vice president under former President Barack Obama, though even some Republicans were skeptical about the report.
Meanwhile, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has also probed Hunter for alleged tax offenses and making false statements while purchasing a firearm.
