Hunter Biden rejects House GOP "carnival side show" invite

• Hunter Biden received an invitation for a March 20 hearing in Washington D.C. last week, per a letter from his attorney Abbe Lowell. It's the day before they're scheduled for a hearing in California, per the letter.
• "Mr. Biden declines your invitation to this carnival side show," Lowell said.

Catch up quick: Hunter Biden maintained during his deposition that he did not involve his father in any business dealings and blasted Republicans' efforts as a "baseless and destructive" political charade.

• The testimony occurred after he refused a private one for months.

In the letter, Lowell said that House Republicans previously stated that depositions were the final step of the probe.

• "Your latest step — this March 6 invitation — is not a serious oversight proceeding," the letter said. "It is your attempt to resuscitate your conference's moribund inquiry with a made-for-right media, circus act."

The other side: Comer said in a statement that his committee "called Hunter Biden's bluff."

• "Hunter Biden for months stated he wanted a public hearing, but now that one has been offered alongside his business associates that he worked with for years, he is refusing to come," he said.

Zoom out: Biden's refusal to testify is another blow to an impeachment inquiry that has already been reeling from repeated witness denials that President Biden was directly involved in his son's business dealings.

• House Republicans have increasingly acknowledged that the inquiry is unlikely to lead to a vote on the House floor, much less impeachment.
• Instead, GOP lawmakers have turned to flashy hearings – like one with Biden special counsel Robert Hur on Tuesday – to ding the president.

What's next: The hearing is "moving forward" with former Hunter Biden associates Tony Bobulinski, Devon Archer and James Galanis as witnesses, Comer said.

Go deeper: Exclusive: Hunter Biden sees his sobriety as key to keeping Trump from winning