Hunter Biden associate says president "never involved" in business dealings

• "To be clear, President Biden - while in office or as a private citizen - was never involved in any of the business activities we pursued," Walker told the House Oversight and House Judiciary committee during a closed-door deposition, according to his opening statement obtained by Axios.
• "Any statement to the contrary is simply false," he added.

What he's saying: In his statement, Walker defended Hunter Biden's character and insisted that Hunter always "made sure there was always a clear boundary between any business and his father," according to the statement submitted to the record.

• Walker also challenged Republican motives.
• "Based on what has transpired through this inquiry to date, I am very concerned that what I say here today may be taken out of context to further a political objective, rather than to discover the truth," he said.

The big picture: House Republicans, led by Oversight Chair James Comer, have sought to tie the president to Hunter's foreign business dealings.

• They have struggled to present substantial evidence that Biden broke the law or benefited financially from his son's business dealings, even as they sought testimony from Biden family members and associates.
• Hunter Biden agreed to sit before lawmakers next month, after top House Republicans threatened to vote on holding him in contempt of Congress.