New details from Hunter Biden’s former business partner illuminate their financial interactions

Thursday saw House Republicans concentrating their efforts on the Bidens, as they disclosed a transcript of an interview with Hunter Biden’s ex-business partner that sheds light on the foreign fiscal engagements of the President’s son, instead of focusing on Donald Trump’s federal court appearance.

The House Oversight Committee carried out an extensive, closed-door interview with Devon Archer that lasted over five hours. Released mere hours before Trump’s court appearance to confront a third series of charges, this interview offers a novel understanding of how the President’s youngest son exploited his connections with his father, then Vice President, to attract overseas investors. Archer described Hunter Biden’s approach as creating a “perception of access” in Washington.

The panel’s Republican members anticipate using their findings to push for impeachment proceedings against the president. Nevertheless, despite persistent pressing, Archer did not present any substantial evidence to suggest that Joe Biden’s involvement in his son’s business was anything more than casual conversation during their routine family calls.

Archer, speaking to the committee members and staff on Monday, explained that Hunter regularly conversed with his father daily. “There’s a conversation if his father calls him during dinner and he answers the phone,” he stated, adding that such discussions were generally about everyday matters, such as the weather or what conditions were like in different locations around the world.

The unveiling of the lengthy 140-page transcript is the commencement of what is projected to be a complicated, drawn-out investigation by Republicans into Hunter Biden’s global business dealings, whereby he seemingly leveraged perceived access to power to maintain a luxurious lifestyle for himself and his associates. Currently, three committees are probing Hunter Biden’s dealings, with Republicans leading several investigations.

Over their ten-year business partnership, Archer testified that Hunter Biden connected him with his father around 20 times while in the presence of associates, though they “never once discussed any business dealings”. When directly asked if he knew of any wrongdoing by Vice President Biden, Archer denied any knowledge of such.

The transcript generally depicts the president’s son as leveraging his father’s reputation, without necessarily promising or delivering any undue influence that would be deemed questionable or border on misconduct.

However, Republicans have long viewed Archer, who served alongside Hunter Biden on the board of the Ukrainian gas company Burisma, as a pivotal witness in their quest to directly link the president to his son’s various global business activities.

The Republican chair of the Oversight Committee, Rep. James Comer, issued a subpoena to Archer in June. He described Archer as having a “significant role in the Biden family’s foreign business engagements, including but not limited to China, Russia, and Ukraine.” Archer’s testimony was seen as crucial to their investigation.

Despite no direct evidence linking Hunter Biden’s financial activities to his father, Archer’s testimony opened new discussions about how the 53-year-old utilized the “Biden brand” to develop his multimillion-dollar international enterprises.

Archer testified that Hunter was well-compensated and appeared to be demonstrating his worth, utilizing his connection with his father subtly to gain an advantage. He added that Hunter was likely to draw on his family’s reputation to provide “defensive leverage”, demonstrating the value of his work.

When asked about Hunter’s value to Burisma, Archer responded that Hunter brought value mainly in corporate governance, but the brand name was a significant part of his value.

Republican Oversight Committee member, Rep. Andy Biggs, interpreted the “Biden brand” testimony as implicating the President directly, suggesting that an impeachment inquiry should commence. Comer agreed with this sentiment, stating in a release on Thursday that Archer’s testimony confirmed that “Joe Biden was ‘the brand’ his son sold globally to enrich the Biden family.”

Nevertheless, when pressed further, Archer clarified that the “brand” that brought value to Hunter Biden with international clients was broader, representing Washington access, including his past lobbying work.

In response to this, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy recently suggested that Republicans might need to initiate an impeachment inquiry for a deeper investigation.

However, the leading Democrat on the Oversight panel, Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, argued that the transcript once again shows Republicans’ failure to produce any evidence of wrongdoing by President Biden. He dismissed the effort as a “desperate attempt to divert attention from Donald Trump’s third indictment and the overwhelming evidence of his consistent efforts to subvert American democracy.”

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Hunter Biden’s business dealings

More about Hunter Biden’s business dealings

• House Oversight Committee
• Profile of Hunter Biden
• Report on the Biden family’s foreign business dealings
• Profile of Devon Archer
• Burisma Holdings