President Joe Biden has repeatedly denied discussing business with his son, Hunter. But the embattled first son’s best friend may blow up those denials in a congressional deposition scheduled this week, the New York Post reported.
Devon Archer is reportedly planning to tell the House Oversight Committee that Hunter Biden phoned his father during dozens of meetings with their foreign business partners while the elder Biden served as vice president.
Archer, who formed the investment firm Rosemont Seneca with Hunter Biden in 2009, is prepared to tell Congress about one particular incident in Dubai in December 2015. Archer and Biden were in Dubai for the annual board meeting of the Ukrainian energy firm Burisma Holdings. According to Archer, Burisma owner Mykola Zlochevsky asked Hunter Biden to "ring your dad." Biden called his father and introduced him to Zlochevsky and Burisma executive Vadym Pozharskyi.
Archer’s testimony adds to mounting evidence that Joe Biden discussed business with his son. The president has repeatedly denied doing business with Hunter Biden, or even speaking with his son about his business affairs.
Joe Biden said in 2019 that he has "never spoken to my son about his overseas business dealings." Last month, the president responded "no" when asked whether he lied about never speaking to his son about business.
Archer’s disclosure comes as Republicans released an FBI memo that shows a confidential source has claimed that Zlochevsky admitted to paying Hunter and Joe Biden $10 million in bribes to help with a bribery investigation into Burisma. The FBI source told the bureau in June 2020 that Zlochevsky claimed to have 17 recordings of phone calls with the Bidens.
Two other former Hunter Biden partners have said Joe Biden appeared at business meetings regarding his son’s ventures. Rob Walker, a longtime Biden family friend, told the FBI in December 2020 that Joe Biden attended a meeting with his son and executives from CEFC China Energy, a Chinese energy conglomerate linked to the Chinese Communist Party. Tony Bobulinski, another Hunter Biden associate, has released text messages that show he met with the Bidens on May 2, 2017, to discuss a venture with CEFC China Energy.
The House Oversight Committee subpoenaed Archer last month to appear for a closed-door deposition related to his work with the Bidens. Archer has canceled the deposition three times. Rep. James Comer (R., Ky.) told Fox News it is unclear whether Archer will testify this week, but he said he is "looking forward very much to hearing from Devon Archer about all the times he has witnessed Joe Biden meeting with Hunter Biden’s overseas business partners when he was vice president, including on speakerphone."
Archer’s attorney did not respond to a request for comment.