Devon Archer, a former business associate of Hunter Biden, is set to testify before Congress about meetings he attended in which then-Vice President Joe Biden was present, either in person or through speakerphone calls initiated by Hunter.
The upcoming testimony, which seeks to shed light on Joe Biden’s potential involvement in his son’s overseas business ventures, is eagerly awaited by the House Oversight Committee, led by Representative James Comer (R-KY).
Hunter’s alleged practice of dialing in his father into discussions with international business partners has attracted considerable attention.
One such incident happened in 2015, after a Burisma board meeting in Dubai, where Hunter was serving as a director, according to The New York Post.
Archer, also a director at the time, recalls being at the Four Seasons Resort Dubai with Hunter, when they were joined by two Ukrainians linked to Burisma, who sought an urgent conversation with Joe Biden.
Upon their request, Hunter called his father, placing him on speakerphone.
Archer is set to detail the content of such calls in his testimony, suggesting that Joe Biden’s remarks were often general pleasantries.
Congressional investigators, however, are keen to explore the implications and motivations behind these interactions, particularly given the timing and context of specific calls, like the one in Dubai.
Significant scrutiny surrounds the circumstances leading to the firing of Ukrainian Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin, who was investigating Burisma for corruption.
Joe Biden had threatened to withhold $1 billion in US aid to Ukraine unless Shokin was dismissed.
Shokin’s termination followed this threat, which Biden later publicly acknowledged in a speech to the Council on Foreign Relations.
Further highlighting the pressing nature of these events, emails discovered on Hunter’s laptop show explicit demands from Burisma executives for Hunter and Archer to use their influence to thwart the investigation against the company.
Archer’s testimony is expected to cover similar instances where Hunter dialed in his father during key business meetings.
Another former business associate, Tony Bobulinski, has also reported similar instances where Hunter offered to have his father participate in their business discussions via speakerphone.
“I am also aware of other Biden family business associates confirming that Joe would take phone calls from Hunter in the middle of business meetings and would weigh in via speakerphone,” Bobulinski stated.
Archer’s decision to testify has been met with threats, yet he remains committed to presenting his experience, citing it as his “civic duty.”
His testimony is expected to raise more questions about Joe Biden’s awareness and involvement in his son’s business activities, particularly in the instances where he was not directly introduced to Hunter’s overseas partners.
Joe Biden has repeatedly denied knowledge of his son’s overseas business endeavors, but recent revelations from an FBI document, released by Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), allege a $10 million bribe to the Bidens from Zlochevsky, the owner of Burisma, to ensure Shokin’s termination.
Moreover, it seems that Joe Biden was often referred to as “the big guy” in Hunter’s business circles, a detail Archer and Bobulinski both corroborate.
Investigations into these claims are still ongoing.
