Hunter Biden and Donald Trump are not similar cases

When it comes to evaluating the behavior of politicians and their loved ones during their darkest moments, it has become hard to separate accusations based on partisanship as opposed to a genuine concern about corruption and criminality. However, I think a few lessons can be learned from comparing Donald Trump to Hunter Biden. I do not think either of them are particularly upstanding examples of American citizens, but I sympathize with one far more than the other.
Recently, Hunter Biden decided to show up to a House Oversight Committee hearing shortly before it and the Judiciary Committee voted to hold him in contempt of Congress. The committees took this action because Hunter Biden chose not to testify behind closed doors for an impeachment probe regarding his father, President Joe Biden. However, Hunter Biden said he would only testify if the hearing was made public, since he was concerned his words may be selectively shared for political purposes and preferred everyone hear everything he had to say.
Although I am generally a fan of transparency and bringing the operations of government to light, there are two circumstances where I support closed-door hearings. The first instance is when matters of national security are being discussed where, if brought to light, the information revealed could jeopardize the safety of Americans. The second instance is when the information that could be revealed is deeply personal and private. Of course, there are occasions where this concern should be overruled, but it should always at least be taken into consideration.
The security concern is not at play here, since nothing about what Hunter Biden could say would directly impact national security. Aside from a brief stint in the U.S. Navy Reserve where he was administratively discharged for failing a urinalysis test for cocaine, he has not served in any military or security role for the United States. The privacy concern could very well be at play here if he wished to invoke it. However, Hunter Biden is not willing to give testimony behind closed doors despite his own desire for privacy. Thus, if national security is not at stake and he has dismissed his own privacy concerns, we are left with the question – what is the point of a closed-door hearing?
As I have written in many previous columns, I firmly believe Donald Trump should stand trial for all the charges presented to him. As for whether he is guilty or not and what punishments he should face, that is up to the courts/juries to decide based on the law. The same has and should apply to Hunter Biden, since it is clear he is no saint either. The difference is Trump is accusing the system that is prosecuting him of bias right after his civil fraud trial itself occurred. It is easy to read the highlights of his remarks regarding the trial – and perhaps believe them. What is harder to do is listen to the whole trial and see the logic and arguments of both sides. No matter your beliefs, you can clearly see Judge Arthur Engoron has made his decision based on reality – the incorrect valuation of actual Trump assets. What is left to argue are minute legal details I have neither the knowledge nor time to discuss. My point is there is a valid legal concern being discussed.
Thus, when Trump ascribes all these proceedings to a politically motivated “witch hunt,” he fails to do something Hunter Biden currently is: addressing reality. Hunter Biden is once again willing to address his specific crimes and misdeeds publicly. Donald Trump, on the other hand, fails to address any specifics of his cases since it is easier to fit the words “political sham” on a sound bite.