Originally published July 31, 2023 12:03 pm PDT
Testimony by Devon Archer, long-time business associate of Hunter Biden, has reignited discussions about the business activities of the President’s son.
In a statement delivered to lawmakers, Archer asserted that President Joe Biden was present on speakerphone during multiple gatherings with Hunter’s business associates and friends, according to Representative Dan Goldman (D-NY).
However, Goldman claims that Archer had categorically stated that none of these conversations involved business matters.
Over a span of a decade, Archer testified that Hunter would routinely communicate with his father, the then-Vice President, on a daily basis.
During approximately 20 of these instances, Hunter allegedly put his father on speakerphone around his associates or friends.
Yet, as per Goldman, the content of these conversations remained non-business-related, consisting mainly of “casual conversation, niceties, the weather, what’s going on.”
He added that Hunter Biden “would often put his father, occasionally would put his father on to say hello to whomever he happened to be caught at dinner with.”
Goldman stressed that Archer’s statement provided no evidence of any discussions concerning Hunter Biden’s commercial interests.
The individuals present during these speakerphone interactions ranged from potential business partners to mere acquaintances.
The distinction is crucial as both the President and the White House have repeatedly stated that Joe Biden never had any discussions about his son’s business engagements.
It’s noteworthy that Hunter Biden and Devon Archer have been business partners for an extended period.
Both served on the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian energy firm, since 2014.
They also collaborated at Rosemont Seneca Partners, an investment firm.
Archer’s credibility has come under scrutiny following his 2018 conviction in a fraudulent bond scheme case involving a Native American tribe, for which he served a prison sentence in 2022.
Goldman additionally highlighted that Archer testified Burisma executives did not fear Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin, owing to their association with Hunter Biden.
This detail was also referenced in the FBI-compiled FD-1023 report.
The document alleged that Burisma’s chief, Mykola Zlochevsky, claimed he had paid $5 million to both the Bidens to influence the Ukrainian government to terminate Shokin. However, these allegations remain unverified.
