乔·拜登总统的儿子亨特·拜登通过他的律师拒绝了国会共和党人的邀请作为对总统弹劾调查的一部分，他将公开作证。但他暗示，如果议员们还邀请前总统唐纳德·特朗普的家人参加有关外国影响力兜售的听证会，他将出席听证会。

周三，亨特·拜登的律师阿贝·洛威尔（Abbe Lowell）在给众议院监督委员会主席詹姆斯·科莫（James Comer）的一封信中表示，他的当事人不会出席定于3月20日举行的听证会，称这是一场“狂欢表演”和“明目张胆的媒体活动”

在调查中，科莫曾邀请小拜登与其他三名证人一起公开露面:德文·阿彻（Devon Archer）、杰森·加兰尼斯（Jason Galanis）和托尼·博布林斯基（Tony Bobulinski），他们都曾是亨特·拜登的商业伙伴，后来成为拜登家族的批评者。

邀请是在亨特·拜登一周后发出的在秘密诉讼中作证作为弹劾调查的一部分，Comer小组和众议院司法委员会早些时候听取了Archer、Galanis和Bobulinski的闭门证词。在闭门亮相之前，小拜登表示愿意公开作证。

洛厄尔在给科莫的信中称计划中的听证会“显然是在游戏结束后孤注一掷。”

“尽管如此，”洛厄尔继续说道，“你向前迈进，就像你脚下的土地没有崩溃一样。”

洛厄尔最后表示，如果科莫调查针对特朗普家族的影响力兜售指控，“拜登先生将考虑邀请他参加该活动。”

亨特·拜登法律团队的一位消息人士表示，如果议员们邀请前总统的女婿、现任白宫高级顾问贾里德·库什纳，亨特·拜登会照办。

收到洛厄尔的信后不久，科莫发表了一份声明，承诺推进听证会，并重申他希望亨特·拜登能出席。

After closed-door testimony, Hunter Biden declines invitation from Comer to testify in public

President Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden, through his attorney, declined an invitation by congressional Republicans to testify in public as part of their impeachment inquiry into the president -- but suggested he would attend a hearing on foreign influence peddling if lawmakers also invited members of former President Donald Trump's family.

In a letter to House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer on Wednesday, Abbe Lowell, an attorney for Hunter Biden, said his client would not appear for a hearing scheduled for March 20, calling it a "carnival side show" and "blatant planned-for-media event."

Comer had invited the younger Biden to appear publicly alongside three other witnesses in their probe: Devon Archer, Jason Galanis and Tony Bobulinski, all of whom are former business associates of Hunter Biden's who have since turned into critics of the Biden family.

The invitation came a week after Hunter Biden testified in a closed-door proceeding before Comer's panel and the House Judiciary Committee as part of their impeachment probe, which earlier heard closed-door testimony from Archer, Galanis and Bobulinski. Prior to his closed-door appearance, the younger Biden had expressed a willingness to testify in public.

Lowell, in his letter to Comer, called the planned hearing "an obvious attempt to throw a Hail Mary pass after the game has ended."

"Nevertheless," Lowell continued, "you march forward as if the ground beneath your feet has not crumbled."

Lowell concluded by suggesting that if Comer were to examine allegations of influence peddling against the Trump family, "Mr. Biden would consider an invitation for that event."

A source with Hunter Biden's legal team said that if lawmakers invited Jared Kushner, the former president's son-in-law who was a senior White House adviser to Trump, Hunter Biden would oblige.

Shortly after receiving Lowell's letter, Comer released a statement committing to move forward with the hearing and reiterating his expectation that Hunter Biden would attend.