# Should Joe Biden Testify During the Impeachment Hearings? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [December 29, 2019, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-joe-biden-testify-during-the-impeachment-hearings/845540 "2019-12-29T09:13:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-joe-biden-testify-during-the-impeachment-hearings/845540/81 "2019-12-30T14:49:09Z")
John Roberts controls the gavel. ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-joe-biden-testify-during-the-impeachment-hearings/845540/82 "2019-12-30T14:51:20Z")
> [@Wrenching\_Spanners](#): > > It’s blatantly apparent that Hunter Biden was hired by the Ukranian company Burisma for his connections. No shit. That’s not a crime. And it is certainly not a crime committed by Joe Biden. There is a clear and public record of the action Joe Biden took regarding the prosecutor. We know exactly why he took those actions, we know the results of those actions, and we know that nobody named Biden profited from those actions. There isn’t even a coherent narrative for how this might have occurred. ---
**Author:** ![Translucent\_Daydream](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/translucent_daydream/32/16170_2.png) [@Translucent\_Daydream](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Translucent_Daydream)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-joe-biden-testify-during-the-impeachment-hearings/845540/83 "2019-12-30T15:22:07Z")
I have to say, in my viewpoint as an independent, I don’t think that the OP has made a case as to why either of the Biden boys need to testify in DJT’s impeachment trial in the senate. “Why doesn’t he testify anyway if he has nothing to hide?” Like I noted earlier, I have nothing to hide in the OJ trial, or any of the upcoming trials for the people that have been caught being domestic terrorists in New England going after the Jewish folks there. I would strongly suspect that he hasn’t/won’t be called because it would make the GOP look stupid. I wish we didn’t have a stupid GOP at the moment, but for whatever reason we do, so he might be called anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Wrenching\_Spanners](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecb155/32.png) [@Wrenching\_Spanners](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wrenching_Spanners)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-joe-biden-testify-during-the-impeachment-hearings/845540/84 "2019-12-30T15:25:43Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > And what about Pompeo, Mulvaney, and others who are already ignoring subpoenas? Should they be prosecuted for contempt of Congress? In a gravely serious matter, where the legislature of a democracy is trying to override the will of the electorate and overturn their decision on who should be president, should the body tasked with making the final decision seek to have as much information as possible, and seek to review the circumstances and events that transpired as thoroughly as possible? Absolutely yes. Do you think the impeachment trial should be some kind of bargaining session? I’ll trade you Pompeo’s testimony for Biden’s? > [@Ravenman](#): > > What relevance would his testimony have? In other words, what wrongdoing do you believe he has evidence of? I believe that Trump may put forward a defence that his action’s in pursuing Biden for corrupt actions fell within his executive authority. If he does pursue that defence, then it’s relevant for the Senate to assess whether there were legitimate reasons for thinking that Biden was corrupt. Testimony of people familiar with Joe Biden’s words and actions towards Ukraine, including both Hunter Biden and Joe Biden, are therefore relevant if the Senate wishes to call them as witnesses. If Joe Biden is called as a witness, he can choose to comply with the instruction to testify, or seek to block it. If he does seek to block his own testimony, stating that Trump is trying to use him as a distraction, then I think the Senate, the courts, and the general public should be sceptical of his motivation. ---
**Author:** ![Wrenching\_Spanners](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecb155/32.png) [@Wrenching\_Spanners](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wrenching_Spanners)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-joe-biden-testify-during-the-impeachment-hearings/845540/85 "2019-12-30T15:37:43Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > WTF? Kavanaugh was interviewing for a lifetime appointment on the Supreme Court. When I’m interviewing for a job, I’m expected to answer any appropriate questions and, if it’s a high enough level job, I would expect to be investigated – when I had to get clearance, I was investigated and had to respond to all kinds of questions. > > Biden isn’t interviewing for a job in the Senate. Seriously, WTF? > > You mention that Biden is supposed to be a smart guy who is looking to be president. Trump is also supposed to be a smart guy, a real Stable Genius, who is already president – surely, you should be pushing for him to testify under oath first, and then we could get to Biden if necessary, right? > > To specifically address the OP, not the bizarre Kavanaugh side trip you brought up, if Biden is subpoenaed by the Senate, he should testify and show the Republicans and the Trump administration that there really is something called the rule of law. He should only answer questions relevant to the impeachment trial, and since nothing about his actions as Vice President or after are relevant to the impeachment trial, he should feel free to state as such. Pelosi should agree to this after getting McConnell to agree first to having Giuliani, Bolton, and others testify first (that is, before Biden, so they can’t say, sorry, my fingers were crossed). Tamerlane’s point was that the process of testifying in a partisan environment can be damaging to the individual providing the testimony. I acknowledge that that is true. However, I don’t think it’s a one-sided truth. If it would be politically damaging for Joe Biden to testify, even if he had nothing to hide, then it should be acknowledged that it would be politically damaging for other witnesses before a partisan Congress to give uninhibited testimony. I brought up Kavanaugh because it was recent, and because several posters on this board were saying his lack of candor should disqualify him. I think the standard of expectation should be consistent, and not based on the side you’re on. ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-joe-biden-testify-during-the-impeachment-hearings/845540/86 "2019-12-30T15:38:14Z")
> [@Wrenching\_Spanners](#): > > I believe that Trump may put forward a defence that his action’s in pursuing Biden for corrupt actions fell within his executive authority. It is impossible to put forward such a defense without distorting the truth or outright lying. That said, should we get to a point where Trump’s defense is in need of Biden’s testimony to be believable, then the Trump defense team has failed so badly at their jobs that conviction would be inevitable. I’m sure it won’t come to that point. ---
**Author:** ![Wrenching\_Spanners](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecb155/32.png) [@Wrenching\_Spanners](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wrenching_Spanners)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-joe-biden-testify-during-the-impeachment-hearings/845540/87 "2019-12-30T15:40:49Z")
> [@Lance\_Turbo](#): > > No shit. > > That’s not a crime. And it is certainly not a crime committed by Joe Biden. > > There is a clear and public record of the action Joe Biden took regarding the prosecutor. We know exactly why he took those actions, we know the results of those actions, and we know that nobody named Biden profited from those actions. > > There isn’t even a coherent narrative for how this might have occurred. You left out this bit: > [@](#): > > there’s one hell of a conflict of interest, in a company with a dodgy record, in a country known for its corruption problems, that exists for no other reason than Hunter Biden is Joe Biden’s son. ---
**Author:** ![Wrenching\_Spanners](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecb155/32.png) [@Wrenching\_Spanners](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wrenching_Spanners)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-joe-biden-testify-during-the-impeachment-hearings/845540/88 "2019-12-30T15:46:44Z")
> [@Lance\_Turbo](#): > > It is impossible to put forward such a defense without distorting the truth or outright lying. > > That said, should we get to a point where Trump’s defense is in need of Biden’s testimony to be believable, then the Trump defense team has failed so badly at their jobs that conviction would be inevitable. I’m sure it won’t come to that point. Already answered in post #75: > [@Wrenching\_Spanners](#): > > First of all, it is entirely appropriate for the executive of a country to request assistance of the executive of another country to perform investigations on their soil. What do you think Joe Biden was doing in Ukraine? From the New York Times, Biden was: > prodding Ukraine’s leaders to tackle the rampant corruption that made their country a risky bet for international lenders — and pushing reform of Ukraine’s cronyism-ridden energy industry. > [https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/10/us/politics/joe-biden-ukraine.html](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/10/us/politics/joe-biden-ukraine.html) > And that appropriateness extends to actions of American citizens on foreign soil who are breaking American laws. How do you think cybercriminals get caught? If investigators from one country need evidence from another country, they ask that country’s investigators to obtain the evidence. > [Operation Onymous - Wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Onymous) > > You, and other posters, seem to think that Trump should have directed any investigations through a law enforcement agency. Guess what? I agree with you. But failure to follow the expected process is not an impeachable offence. The question is if Trump committed an impeachable offence by requesting the investigation of a political opponent. A defence against that charge is that there was actual corruption and investigation of that corruption falls within the authority of the executive. So if Trump goes with that defence, it’s valid to ask both Bidens, Joe and Hunter to testify as to what was going on. And, as stated before, and respecting Tamerlane’s reply, if nothing was going on, then either Biden, but especially Joe, should provide the asked-for testimony. Do try and keep up. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-joe-biden-testify-during-the-impeachment-hearings/845540/89 "2019-12-30T15:55:25Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > So if Biden _as Vice-President_ asked a foreign prosecutor to stop an investigation ofhis son, then it is still inappropriate for a later President to ask the foreign country to investigate it? Not what happened. Biden, with other EU leaders’ backing, pressured Ukraine to get rid of its prosecutor who was known to be corrupt. There was no investigation of Hunter Biden, indeed the new prosecutor would have been more likely to investigate him if indeed there was anything to investigate. What the Republicans should be asking is why neither Biden nor Obama was in the Oval Office on 9/11. ---
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-joe-biden-testify-during-the-impeachment-hearings/845540/90 "2019-12-30T16:05:49Z")
> [@Wrenching\_Spanners](#): > > The question is if Trump committed an impeachable offence by requesting the investigation of a political opponent. Wrong. The question is if Trump committed an impeachable offense by withholding congressionally approved aid to strongarm a vulnerable ally into announcing the investigation of a political opponent. The actions of that opponent are irrelevant to this question. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-joe-biden-testify-during-the-impeachment-hearings/845540/91 "2019-12-30T16:08:59Z")
> [@Wrenching\_Spanners](#): > > … I’ll trade you Pompeo’s testimony for Biden’s?.. Under oath, with standard penalty for perjury? Yes! **Hell** , yes! Goody gumdrops! Now, Universe, I know I haven’t been a very good pantheist, but if You could just give me this one sign… ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-joe-biden-testify-during-the-impeachment-hearings/845540/92 "2019-12-30T16:54:20Z")
> [@Wrenching\_Spanners](#): > > You left out this bit: That bit is completely unrelated to what I posted. > [@Wrenching\_Spanners](#): > > Already answered in post #75: Post #75 is also completely unrelated to what I posted. You are Gish galloping here. Nothing more. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-joe-biden-testify-during-the-impeachment-hearings/845540/93 "2019-12-30T16:56:26Z")
> [@Wrenching\_Spanners](#): > > _Senator Broomstick, I have never beaten my wife. I defy you to provide any evidence that I have ever beaten my wife. Were you not in a position of privilege, I would seek redress against you for your defamation. Your question is a base, untrue insinuation and you demean this chamber with its false implications._ > > Got any other softballs you want to throw up? > > First of all, it is entirely appropriate for the executive of a country to request assistance of the executive of another country to perform investigations on their soil. What do you think Joe Biden was doing in Ukraine? From the New York Times, Biden was: > prodding Ukraine’s leaders to tackle the rampant corruption that made their country a risky bet for international lenders — and pushing reform of Ukraine’s cronyism-ridden energy industry. > [https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/10/us/politics/joe-biden-ukraine.html](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/10/us/politics/joe-biden-ukraine.html) > And that appropriateness extends to actions of American citizens on foreign soil who are breaking American laws. How do you think cybercriminals get caught? If investigators from one country need evidence from another country, they ask that country’s investigators to obtain the evidence. > [Operation Onymous - Wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Onymous) > > You, and other posters, seem to think that Trump should have directed any investigations through a law enforcement agency. Guess what? I agree with you. But failure to follow the expected process is not an impeachable offence. The question is if Trump committed an impeachable offence by requesting the investigation of a political opponent. A defence against that charge is that there was actual corruption and investigation of that corruption falls within the authority of the executive. So if Trump goes with that defence, it’s valid to ask both Bidens, Joe and Hunter to testify as to what was going on. And, as stated before, and respecting Tamerlane’s reply, if nothing was going on, then either Biden, but especially Joe, should provide the asked-for testimony. > > It’s blatantly apparent that Hunter Biden was hired by the Ukranian company Burisma for his connections. Hunter’s career was as a lobbyist and a business facilitator. In 2014, Burisma’s owner was facing charges of money-laundering and the Ukrainian government was under international pressure to fight corruption. So who did Burisma hire for assistance? The US Vice President’s son. Go ahead and believe the claim stated in Wikipedia that Biden was hired to “help Burisma with corporate governance best practices”. [Hunter Biden - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunter_Biden#Burisma_Holdings) Try not to believe the emails you receive from Nigerian businessmen claiming they’ll make you rich if you do them just a little favour. But if you believe the first, you’ll probably believe the second. If a company needs help with corporate governance, they hire a management consultant, not a lobbyist. Did Hunter or Joe cross any lines into outright corruption as opposed to influence-peddling? I’ve no idea and apparently there’s no smoking gun. But there’s one hell of a conflict of interest, in a company with a dodgy record, in a country known for its corruption problems, that exists for no other reason than Hunter Biden is Joe Biden’s son. That’s certainly more than enough circumstantial evidence for an investigation into wrongdoing. Is it enough for a criminal conviction? No. Is it justification for asking questions? Yes. Should the Senate want to ask those questions and subpoena either Biden to ask those questions, is it within their purview? Yes. Even if we stipulate that an investigation of the Bidens is appropriate, it is NOT appropriate to carry out that investigation during the testimony phase of a different person’s actual trial. Which is exactly what your demand for Joe Biden’s testimony is an attempt to do. ---
**Author:** ![Wrenching\_Spanners](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecb155/32.png) [@Wrenching\_Spanners](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wrenching_Spanners)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-joe-biden-testify-during-the-impeachment-hearings/845540/94 "2019-12-30T17:02:28Z")
> [@Akaj](#): > > Wrong. The question is if Trump committed an impeachable offense by withholding congressionally approved aid to strongarm a vulnerable ally into announcing the investigation of a political opponent. Your more verbose summary is indeed more accurate, ignoring the biased vocabulary. > [@Akaj](#): > > The actions of that opponent are irrelevant to this question. That’s an opinion, not an argument. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-joe-biden-testify-during-the-impeachment-hearings/845540/95 "2019-12-30T17:05:24Z")
> [@LAZombie](#): > > EXACTLY! Keep up the great arguments! > > I think it would be great if Trump testified. Remember McConnell controls the gavel and this is not a traditional trial. Outside of fervent Trump haters, nobody has been really paying attention to this impeachment. If Trump were take the stand, the whole world would be watching. He could turn it into free media time to promote his reelection. > > The answer to every question would be, “The economy is doing great, better than ever. This is just a desperate attempt by Shifty Schiff and Senator Chucky to stop my reelection. I wouldn’t hire a coke fiend like Hunter Biden to sweep the sidewalks in front of my beautiful buildings much less as legal counsel.” Indeed. It would likely be his answer to the question “What are the names of your children?” ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-joe-biden-testify-during-the-impeachment-hearings/845540/96 "2019-12-30T17:11:55Z")
> [@Wrenching\_Spanners](#): > > Tamerlane’s point was that the process of testifying in a partisan environment can be damaging to the individual providing the testimony. I acknowledge that that is true. However, I don’t think it’s a one-sided truth. If it would be politically damaging for Joe Biden to testify, even if he had nothing to hide, then it should be acknowledged that it would be politically damaging for other witnesses before a partisan Congress to give uninhibited testimony. I brought up Kavanaugh because it was recent, and because several posters on this board were saying his lack of candor should disqualify him. I think the standard of expectation should be consistent, and not based on the side you’re on. Except that in the Kavanaugh instance, there were specific allegations that were being probed. Can you point to specific allegations that remain to be probed wrt either of the Bidens? ---
**Author:** ![Wolf333](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf333/32/3460_2.png) [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-joe-biden-testify-during-the-impeachment-hearings/845540/97 "2019-12-30T17:17:39Z")
Can we stop with this “overriding the will of the electorate” bullshit? 1. Impeachment was included in the constitution for a reason 2. The house members were voted for by that same electorate, and one of the jobs they were elected to perform was oversight of the executive branch - up to, and including impeachment. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-joe-biden-testify-during-the-impeachment-hearings/845540/98 "2019-12-30T17:18:41Z")
Hi just have a microsec. No. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-joe-biden-testify-during-the-impeachment-hearings/845540/99 "2019-12-30T17:37:52Z")
> [@Wrenching\_Spanners](#): > > Or maybe Biden should just give honest answers. That’s generally what we expect of witnesses, right? An honest answer from Biden would be that he has no relevant testimony to give. What questions do you think Biden should be asked? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-joe-biden-testify-during-the-impeachment-hearings/845540/100 "2019-12-30T17:46:17Z")
> [@Wrenching\_Spanners](#): > > If Biden can’t handle himself in front of senators asking difficult questions, then that probably says something about his adequacy to be President. Can this standard be retroactively applied to Brett Kavanaugh, regarding the Supreme Court? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-joe-biden-testify-during-the-impeachment-hearings/845540.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-joe-biden-testify-during-the-impeachment-hearings/845540.md?page=6)