GOP forcing Hunter Biden to testify could 'completely backfire' on them — here's why

With public pressure mounting for Senate Republicans to allow officials like former National Security Adviser John Bolton and White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney to testify at President Donald Trump's impeachment trial, some in the GOP are now suggesting a trade — allowing these witnesses in exchange for Hunter Biden, the focus of Trump's Ukraine conspiracy theories, to take the stand as well and face aggressive questioning about his role in Burisma. This is a GOP attempt to distract from the allegations against Trump by changing the subject to the Bidens.

But as CNN's Michael Smerconish noted on Saturday, this strategy might not even work.

"This is my theory, pure speculation," said Smerconish. "I have this vision on the Democratic side of the aisle, some who know Hunter Biden, are sort of rubbing their hands and saying, yeah, yeah, just keep begging for this guy."

"The Republicans have created such a caricature of him. In other words, they set the bar so low," continued Smerconish. "And then all of a sudden, Hunter Biden comes in. He's a handsome guy. He's articulate. He's smart. He went to Georgetown, he went to Yale Law. He puts sentences together that are not indicative of having committed anything illicit, other than earning money, perhaps because of the name with which he was bestowed. And Americans say, 'Oh my god, is that all there is?' It could completely backfire. It's one of the intangibles. I don't know, but I'm paying attention."

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