Hunter Biden rejects House Republicans' request to testify publicly

Hunter Biden on Wednesday rejected a request from House Republicans to testify publicly at a hearing next week, with his attorney blasting the planned panel as a "circus act."

"Mr. Biden declines your invitation to this carnival side show," Abbe Lowell, an attorney for the president's son, said in a letter to House Oversight Committee chair Rep. James Comer, R-Ky.

Lowell’s letter said his client would consider testifying publicly before the committee if the panel also included “relatives of former President Trump.”

“If they schedule a legitimate hearing that includes Jared Kushner, Hunter will be there,” a source familiar with Hunter Biden’s legal strategy told NBC News.

Comer invited Biden to testify as part of his impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden on March 20. Also requested to testify at the hearing are two former Hunter Biden business associates who've been convicted of fraud, and a third whom the younger Biden has called an "incompetent" and an "idiot."

In his letter, Lowell said his client could not attend because he's due in court in California the next day, but "the scheduling conflict is the least of the issues." He said the hearing is not "a proper proceeding but an obvious attempt to throw a Hail Mary pass after the game has ended," citing his client's over six hours of deposition testimony in which House Republicans did not identify evidence of a crime.

Lowell also noted that the Republican impeachment inquiry hit a roadblock when an FBI informant central to their probe was charged with lying to the bureau about the Bidens.

In a statement, Comer mocked Biden's response and said he still expected him to appear.

"Hunter Biden for months stated he wanted a public hearing, but now that one has been