Republicans urge colleagues to get back to D.C. for an emergency hearing on Department of
At least five House Republicans are urging their colleagues to come back to Washington, D.C., to hold an emergency hearing following allegations the Department of Justice ‘interfered’ with Hunter Biden‘s business partner Devon Archer’s testimony.
The Department of Justice sent an ‘odd’ letter over the weekend on July 29 to a New York judge calling for Archer’s sentencing for an unrelated fraud conviction to be expedited just days before his highly anticipated testimony. Hours later, DOJ issued a new letter attempting to clarify they never intended to see Archer locked up before he testifies behind closed doors Monday on the Biden’s business schemes.
Archer, a friend and business partner of Hunter Biden, is expected to give his bombshell account of the Biden family business dealings for four to five hours behind closed doors, and finally unmask Joe as the ‘Big Guy.’
Republicans say the last minute move by DOJ was an attempt to ‘intimidate’ Archer, who they view as being central to providing information that is critical to their ongoing investigation into the Biden family’s business dealings.
Now, at least five GOP lawmakers are pushing for an ’emergency’ hearing on DOJ’s conduct.
Hunter Biden’s friend and business partner Devon Archer, 49, is expected to testify Monday before the House Oversight Committee about their businesses. Devon Archer (far left) is seen playing golf in the Hamptons with Hunter (far right) and Joe (next to Hunter)
‘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,’ Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., tweeted on Sunday.
‘This is all because Hunter’s problems and Joe’s problems merge with the testimony of Devin Archer. Time for Action. Right now,’ Gaetz continued.
‘I will join you back on the Hill,’ tweeted Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La.
Reps. Chip Roy, R-Texas, Harriet Hageman, R-Wyo., and Dan Bishop, R-N.C., pledged to join Johnson and Gaetz.
Bishop tweeted: ‘I think you need five. Count me in. Subpoenas should fly tomorrow.’
Gaetz went farther, saying DOJ ‘is now actively committing the crime of obstructing a congressional investigation.’
He said heads will roll if Archer isn’t in the ‘witness chair’ on Monday.
‘I’ll come back to Washington tomorrow to do this,’ he continued.
The House of Representatives is out on August recess and won’t return to conduct official business in D.C. until mid-September.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said on his Verdict podcast that DOJ has engaged in ‘witness intimidation.’
‘This can only be understood as an attempt by the Biden DOJ to intimidate, to threaten Devon Archer, to tell him, ‘Shut up.’
‘We have the prosecutors and if you talk the consequences will be severe. This is on its face, I believe witness intimidation,’ continued Cruz.
House Oversight Chairman James Comer said Sunday that the Justice Department was acting unusually.
He accused the DOJ of using its July 29 letter to Abrams as an attempt to ‘intimidate’ the witness he says is key to getting to the bottom of the president’s son’s shady overseas business deals.
Comer said on Fox’s Sunday Morning Futures: ‘It’s odd that it’s right before he’s scheduled to come in to have an opportunity to speak in front of the House Oversight Committee and tell the American people the truth about what really went on with Burisma.’
Hours later, the Justice Department issued a new letter saying they never intended to see Archer locked up before he testified to Congress.
The letter read: ‘For the avoidance of all doubt, the Government requests that any surrender date, should the Court order one, be scheduled to occur after the defendant’s Congressional testimony is completed.’
A source close to Archer confirmed reports that he is set to testify about meetings he attended with his and Hunter’s foreign business partners, where the First Son allegedly had Joe Biden on speakerphone.
DailyMail.com reported exclusively this week that Archer is ‘in hiding’ after receiving ‘threats’ leading up to his bombshell testimony.
The House Oversight Committee will ask Archer about ‘whether foreign actors targeted the Bidens and if the president was involved in his family’s business dealings.’
Archer’s expected testimony Monday comes after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy indicated this week that he is mulling opening an impeachment inquiry into President Biden for his ‘lies’ about his involvement in Hunter’s dealings.
Archer, 48, was subpoenaed on June 12 by the House Oversight Committee, which is investigating Hunter’s businesses and whether he and other members of the Biden family improperly traded on their connections.
It is unclear the motivation behind Archer’s decision to testify on Monday. He previously cancelled on the committee at least three times in recent weeks.
Chairman Comer told Fox News’ Larry Kudlow that Archer is appearing before his committee now because after he was subpoenaed, he ‘doesn’t have a whole lot of options.’
He said Republicans planned to hold him in contempt if he did not comply with the subpoena, which doesn’t ‘look good on your resume.’
‘At the end of the day, I think that Archer wants to do the right thing,’ he said. ‘I think he wants to set the record straight and he is going to have an opportunity to do that.’
A close associate of Archer told the New York Post he is testifying about his time working with Hunter because he believes it is his ‘civic duty.’
It comes as Archer is also facing legal troubles of his own and is expected to go to prison shortly.
He was sentenced to one year and a day in prison in February 2022 for defrauding a Native American tribal entity and various investment advisory clients of tens of millions of dollars, in connection with the issuance of $60 million in bonds.
He is on the hook with his co-conspirators for $43.4 million in restitution over the fraud.
Archer’s lawyer confirmed his upcoming meeting with Congress, adding that Archer had previously testified to a federal grand jury about his dealings with the Biden family – likely referring to Delaware prosecutor David Weiss’ criminal investigation into the First Son.
‘Devon Archer believes strongly in the rule of law and the democratic system, and is prepared to answer the Committee’s questions just as he has already answered similar questions from a federal grand jury, the Department of Justice, and several other government agencies in their investigations concerning the Biden family,’ said attorney Matthew Schwartz of Boies Schiller Flexner.
‘There have been many leaks and much speculation about Mr. Archer’s potential statement to the Oversight Committee, but next week, Mr. Archer will get to speak for himself.’
The White House has maintained the president was never ‘in business’ with his son, but the GOP have ramped up their investigation with testimonies from whistleblowers and a slew of other evidence.
Archer, 48, and Hunter both graduated from Yale and were friends for decades. Hunter has reportedly described Devon as his ‘best friend in business.’
Together they formed Rosemont Seneca Partners back in 2009, along with Christopher Heinz, the son-in-law of former Sen. John Kerry, kicking off a period of international business deals and jet-setting.
Rep. Matt Gaetz went farther, saying DOJ ‘is now actively committing the crime of obstructing a congressional investigation’
Devon Archer (left, pictured in 2010) is set to testify in front of lawmakers on Monday
Hunter and Archer both graduated from Yale and were friends for decades. They founded their consultancy together, and Hunter reportedly described Devon as his ‘best friend in business.’ The friends are pictured in an undated photo
Hunter walked into the federal court in downtown Wilmington, Delaware, alongside his ‘sugar brother’ and lawyer Kevin Morris (left) – who was seen smoking a bong during a visit from the president’s son last week
First son Hunter Biden had his plea deal collapse in federal court in Wilmington on Wednesday
Archer and Hunter Biden each landed lucrative seats on the board of Ukrainian energy firm Burisma, despite Hunter not having particular expertise in the field. The firm brought in a reported $11 million through the arrangement, based on information gleaned from Hunter’s infamous laptop.
They were photographed golfing with then-Vice President Biden back in 2014.
Hunter’s ex-business partner is planning to testify to the committee that Hunter used this speakerphone call tactic at least two dozen times, according to a New York Post report published Monday.
One alleged example is after a Burisma board meeting in Dubai on December 4, 2015.
Devon allegedly claims Hunter was with him, Burisma owner Nikolai Zlochevsky, and executive Vadym Pozharskyi at the bar of the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach.
Burisma executive Vadym Pozharskyi allegedly asked Hunter: ‘Can you ring your dad?’
According to the Post report, Hunter called Joe, introduced ‘Nikolai and Vadym’, and told his father they ‘need our support’.
Three days later Joe flew to address the Ukrainian parliament on the ‘poison of cronyism, corruption, and kleptocracy.’
At the time, Zlochevsky was under criminal investigation in Ukraine, and had his assets seized. But in March 2016, after Joe Biden threatened to withhold $1 billion in U.S. aid to Ukraine, Ukrainian Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin was fired.