Devon Archer, a former business partner of Hunter Biden, on Monday told lawmakers that US President Joe Biden was often put on speakerphone to impress clients and business associates.
The US House of Representatives Oversight Committee conducted a more than-five hour interview with Archer as part of its inquiry into the Biden family businesses.
Lawmakers in the closed-door interview said Archer testified that over the span of 10 years, Hunter Biden put his father on the telephone about 20 times while in the company of associates, but added that the president “never once spoke about any business dealings.”
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US Representative Andy Biggs told reporters after the interview that the testimony implicated Joe Biden directly.
“I think we should do an impeachment inquiry,” Biggs said.
Archer testified that Ukrainian gas company “Burisma would have gone out of business sooner if the Biden brand had not been invoked,” he said. “People would be intimidated to legally mess with Burisma because of the Biden family brand.”
US Representative James Comer, the chairman of the committee, said in a statement that “Joe Biden was ‘the brand’ that his son sold around the world to enrich the Biden family.”
US Representative Dan Goldman said that Archer testified that Hunter Biden sold the “illusion of access” to his father by taking credit for things his father did as vice president that he had no part in.
“We are aware that all sides are claiming victory following Mr Archer’s voluntary interview today, but all Devon Archer did was exactly what we said he would: Show up and answer the questions put to him honestly and completely,” Archer’s attorney, Matthew Schwartz, said in a statement.
“Mr Archer shared the truth with the committee, and we will leave to them and others to decide what to do with it,” Schwartz said.
The White House said that the testimony fell short of a Republican promise to deliver “bombshell evidence.”
“It appears that the House Republicans’ own much-hyped witness today testified that he never heard of President Biden discussing business with his son or his son’s associates, or doing anything wrong,” White House spokesman Ian Sams said in a statement.
Archer, who served with Hunter Biden on the board of Burisma, was issued a subpoena in June, with Comer saying he “played a significant role in the Biden family’s business deals abroad, including, but not limited to, China, Russia and Ukraine.”
Archer’s testimony would be critical to the committee’s investigation, Comer said.
A tip to the FBI alleged a bribery scheme involving Joe Biden when he was vice president.
Joe Biden has been accused of pressuring Ukraine to fire its top prosecutor to stop an investigation into Burisma.
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