As the Department of Justice (DOJ) becomes more brazen by the day in protecting the Biden family at all costs, a startling sequence of events has thrust Devon Archer, former business partner of Hunter Biden, into the national spotlight. The DOJ acted on Saturday to press for Archer to go to prison quickly, casting a looming shadow over his testimony expected to come before the House Oversight Committee on Monday.
Archer, a seasoned business collaborator with Hunter Biden, was convicted in 2018 for defrauding a Native American tribe. The conviction is still under appeal, but the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals recently confirmed his one-year federal prison sentence. The timing of this push from the DOJ is undoubtedly interesting, to say the least, given the high-stakes testimony Archer is due to deliver.
The DOJ is trying to arrest Devon Archer ahead of his bombshell testimony Monday about Joe Biden’s involvement in his son Hunter’s Ukraine business when he was VP. US attorney in the SDNY Damian Williams issued a menacing letter yesterday – Saturday – telling Judge Abrams to… pic.twitter.com/Vl7A9Hdfy8
— Miranda Devine (@mirandadevine) July 30, 2023
Archer’s business relationship with Hunter Biden is well-documented. In 2013, the duo partnered with Chinese private equity investor Jonathan Li to establish BHR Partners, a China-backed investment fund supported by major Chinese financial institutions. According to a 2019 report by Reuters, the firm has significant investments in various industries, including the country’s primary nuclear energy firm, AI startups, and a U.S. auto parts company.
BHR Partners isn’t the only business venture linking Archer and Biden. Both joined the board of Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian natural gas firm, in 2014. However, their involvement with BHR and the possible implications for national security are expected to be the centerpiece of Archer’s testimony to the Oversight Committee.
The Saturday letter from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York to U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams, pushing for Archer’s surrender date, set the stage for a heated exchange on Sunday’s Fox News episode of “Sunday Morning Futures.” During the show, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) took a strong stance by raising questions about the timing of the DOJ’s actions.
“This is the first time I have ever heard of the Department of Justice doing anything on a Saturday,” Comer commented, finding it peculiar that the demand was made just before Archer’s scheduled testimony. He did not hesitate to call the move “troubling” and a potential “obstruction of justice.”
BREAKING: Two members of the House Judiciary Committee are now calling for lawmakers to return to Washington for immediate emergency hearings on the DOJ’s interference with Congressional Oversight.
Mike Johnson is an elected member of House Leadership (and one of the brightest… https://t.co/7ejMY586ve
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) July 30, 2023
Further amplifying Comer’s concerns, at least five House Republicans have called for an emergency hearing to discuss potential DOJ interference in the committee’s investigation into President Biden and Hunter Biden. “The DOJ is now actively committing the crime of obstructing a congressional investigation,” said Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL).
Despite the controversy, Archer’s attorney, Matthew Schwartz, insisted his client would carry out his original plan to attend Monday’s meeting and “honestly answer the questions” put to him by the Congressional investigators. Schwartz denied that the DOJ’s move was an intimidation attempt, dismissing such speculation.
Archer’s expected testimony on Monday is set to take place behind closed doors, with a transcript expected to be released to the public as soon as later on Monday.
