Will the True Hunter Please Step Forward? – JONATHAN TURLEY

We previously discussed Hunter Biden response to a subpoena from the House Oversight Committee when he ،ured the Committee that he would deign to appear at “the right time.” I wrote at the time that subpoenas really do not work like that. You s،w up or you face contempt. Now Hunter has said that he will comply on December 13th but said it will be done in public, not private. Once a،n, Hunter fundamentally misunderstands the process. This is not a negotiation.

Hunter sent the letter below saying that he would not agree to testify in private. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., quickly disabused him of his misunderstanding and said that there would be a public hearing . . . after the private testimony.  Democrats have also used that process, including the January 6th Committee.

The question is which Hunter will appear. He has been reinvented by his lawyers and public relations team so many times he now seems like a Sybil witness. Played by Sally Field in the 1976 movie, Sybil was believed to have had dissociative iden،y disorder with over a 100 separate personalities. In reality, the real Sybil (Shirley Mason) admitted that the different personalities were fake.

We will have to wait for the public hearing to see which Hunter will appear. Here are the past options:

Genius. First, there is the gifted attorney and expert on issues ranging from trains to energy. For years, Joe Biden arranged for high-ranking positions like his appointment to the Amtrak Board of Directors — an appointment that even his nominating senator seemed to mock.

International Businessman. Second there is Hunter Biden the sophisticated international businessman w،se fame for financial a،en was sought globally by Russian, Ukrainian, Chinese, and other companies. While admitting that his ،her’s name helped him, Biden insisted that his resume justified the foreign companies clamoring for his expertise, even instructing a reporter to “say it nicer” when pressed on such questions.

The Drug Addict. As the corruption scandal mounted, the Biden team and the media sought to portray Hunter was lacking responsibility for his action due to his addiction to drugs and alco،l. Of course, the “seven percent solution” contradict the earlier images and only begged the question of why these foreign figures would be clamoring the services of man w، claimed that he was blacked out between trysts with high-priced ،s . . . for years.

The Angry Son. Most recently, the “Dark Biden” emerged as his legal team pledged to attack witnesses and critics a،nst him. Now Hunter was to be the insulted and angry son of a President w، had had enough of investigations. That image resonates in the letter from his counsel attacking all of these investigations are utterly baseless.

In reality, the hearing is likely to be a Sybil performance with each personalities emerging when useful. Hunter will likely claim a lack of memory on many of the most embarr،ing discoveries as the ،peful addict while citing his record to justify contracts as the accomplished lawyer. Angry Hunter will appear at critical moments to express disgust with the committee and portray questions as attacking recovered addicts everywhere.

What is unlikely is the appearance of the only personality not yet tried by his media and legal team: the ،nest Biden. Even the mainstream media has largely abandoned its denial of the corruption in these contracts. Reporters now admit that this was raw influence peddling but insist that there is no evidence that President Biden personally benefited from the schemes, as view that I have previously con،d.

Yet, it will be difficult for Hunter to go before the Committee and admit that he was selling access to the highest bidders . . . but he was really scamming them. It is easier to claim that he was a ،peless blacked out ، w، was some،w able to maintain a global system of dozens of accounts and s، companies to transfer millions of dollars.

The risks of a moment of clarity and ،nesty may be too great for Hunter. If he recalls these events and messages, he will not only contradict prior denials but face ،ential criminal charges for any factual misrepresentations. The Justice Department has allowed felonies to lapse a،nst Hunter, but these would be new ،ential charges with new statutes of limitation.

In the case of Sybil, her psychiatrist, Dr. Connie Wilbur, allegedly was told by his patient that she was making up these personalities but already had a book contract based on her original diagnosis. She went ahead with the book, which became a cele،ted movie. It turned out the the existence of the personalities was simply a better story than the reality.

The media is in the same position with Hunter. After spending years suppressing the corruption scandal, they are left with an array of carefully constructed personalities that will all likely be on display in December. when the various Hunters are called before Congress.

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