In a significant development, transcripts of Monday’s closed-door hearing featuring Hunter Biden’s former business partner Devon Archer and the House Oversight Committee reveal claims of the Biden family’s illegal financial dealings and corruption.
Fox News secured transcripts of the hearing.
According to a report from Yahoo News, Archer’s testimony revealed that Hunter used his father’s name as “defensive leverage” to add value to business ventures. The Biden name allegedly helped secure various deals as foreign partners were impressed by the proximity to high-level American politics.
The Hill noted that Hunter repeatedly emphasized the Biden name’s value during his business interactions. Archer testified it was the currency of this arrangement — the Biden name — that leveraged opportunities.
The testimony also includes a noteworthy exchange where Archer claimed that Hunter occasionally put then-Vice President Joe Biden on speakerphone during meetings with potential partners. This, Archer said, served to underline the Biden brand’s stature and drive home the depth of the connection between Hunter and his father.
Archer, who, along with Hunter, served on the board of Ukrainian energy firm Burisma Holdings, also mentioned that the company relied heavily on the Biden name for its business prospects. “Without the Biden brand, Burisma would have gone out of business,” he claimed.
When asked if Hunter would tell business partners they had “unique access” because of Vice President Biden, Archer said: “Yes, we would say we had a unique understanding of D.C. and how it operates and how that, you know, could positively reflect on the terms of our business.”
Referring to Burisma, Archer testified that Hunter used the “brand” of Joe Biden to have “doors opened,” which “sent the right signals” for Burisma to “carry on its business and be successful.”
“My only thought is that I think Burisma would have gone out of business if it didn’t have the brand attached to it,” Archer said.
When pressed, Archer clarified he believed Burisma was “able to survive” for as long as it did “just because of the brand.”
Archer also recalled incidents where Joe Biden interacted with Hunter’s business associates at social events, creating an impression of familiarity and proximity to the then-vice president’s sphere of influence.
When Archer testified that Burisma often called on the United States to help them address various pressures, Rep. Jim Jordan asked: “The request was help from the United States Government to deal with the pressure they were under from their prosecutor, and that entailed the freezing of assets at the London bank and other things that were going on in Ukraine?”
“Correct,” Archer said.
When asked why Burisma would ask Hunter for help, Archer said he was “a lobbyist and an expert, and obviously, he carried, you know, a very powerful name.”
Archer affirmed, “That’s what they were asking for,” and testified that after Burisma executives asked for help, Hunter “called his dad” but noted he “did not hear this phone call.”
Democrats have argued that the testimony shows Joe Biden was not directly involved in his son’s business dealings. In a report by The Hill, the White House defended Biden, stating that their own witness did not support the allegations against the president.
In related news, an article published in the New York Post revealed a letter dated January 20, 2011, from Vice President Joe Biden to Archer. The letter expressed happiness at Hunter and Archer’s partnership and seemed to contradict earlier claims by the president that he had never discussed business with his son.
The letter thanked Archer for attending a lunch with Chinese President Hu Jintao and mentioned Biden’s desire to see them together again soon.
Biden has repeatedly said he had no knowledge of his son’s business dealings and once claimed he did not know where his son was employed or the nature of his businesses. The White House has revised those statements to now assert the president was not in partnership with Hunter in his business affairs.
Archer’s testimony and the subsequent revelations have intensified the scrutiny of the Biden family’s business practices. However, the impact of these developments on Biden’s administration remains to be seen.
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