What We Learned From the Biden Family Depositions

House Republicans have released transcripts of their depositions with Hunter and James Biden, and we’ve read them so you don’t have to trust what other papers don’t want to report. Far from Democratic claims that they show nothing wrong, the testimony confirms the story of political influence peddling and family profiteering. Even if he didn’t get a dime himself, Joe Biden willingly assisted his son Hunter and brother James in schemes to cash in on the Biden family name.

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Under hours of questioning, Hunter and James acknowledged unsavory facts revealed by prior witnesses. Hunter finally admitted that former partner James Gilliar was indeed referring to Joe when he envisioned an equity partnership that included “10 held by H for the big guy" as part of a 2017 deal with Chinese energy company CEFC. This is notable after years of Democratic claims that the laptop on which this email was found was “Russian disinformation."

Hunter also confirmed former business partner Tony Bobulinski’s testimony of a meeting that same year in Los Angeles with Hunter, James, Tony and Joe—in the midst of the CEFC deal-making talks. He didn’t “contest" former partner Rob Walker’s testimony that Hunter introduced Joe to the CEFC chairman at the Four Seasons hotel in New York.

He conceded former partner Devon Archer’s testimony that Joe showed up at business dinners that Hunter hosted in Washington’s Café Milano with Kazakhstan and Russian oligarchs, and that he put his father on speakerphone during other meetings.

Several witnesses have explained Hunter’s role as selling the Biden family “brand"—that is, his father’s influence in Washington. Mr. Archer, who sat on the board of Ukrainian energy company Burisma with Hunter, told the committee: