Hunter Biden’s commercial associate, Devon Archer, told a Congressional committee that the President’s son used his father’s name as “leverage” in business dealings. Archer gave testimony to the Republican-led House Oversight Committee on August 7 and said Hunter Biden used his “very powerful name” to “add value” when securing investments, particularly with companies abroad.
Archer described that Biden Junior was subtle in using his father’s name on some occasions, but on others, then-Vice President Biden was directly called upon and invited to board meetings, usually via speakerphone; he said this happened on around 20 occasions. He added that the Vice President had a “unique understanding of DC and how it operates and how that, you know, could positively reflect on the terms of our business.”
Between 2014 and 2018, Archer sat on the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company, along with Hunter Biden. Burisma is central to the corruption investigations involving the Bidens, as it is said to be one of the companies that held a board meeting joined via speakerphone by President Biden. Archer testified that Burisma was under financial pressure and being investigated by prosecutors in Ukraine.
The businessman told the Congressional committee that Burisma CEO Mykola Zlochevsky pressured Hunter Biden for help from Washington, DC. At the time, President Biden was in charge of US policy toward Ukraine, and according to Archer, Biden visited Ukraine, spoke about the prosecutor’s office, and the person assigned to investigate Burisma was subsequently fired. The testimony reflects details documented on an FD-1023 file subpoenaed from the FBI by the committee in July.
Republicans are stunned by the revelations, and some believe Archer’s testimony amounts to a smoking gun. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said it was “very significant” that Hunter Biden was influence-peddling. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said the testimony proves that Joe Biden lied about his dealings with his son. Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman said all it proves is that Joe Biden spoke to his son on the phone.
