By Nathan Baker – The Politics Brief
Hunter Biden’s former best friend and business partner, Devon Archer, is expected to testify before Congress this week, revealing that Hunter would include his father, then-Vice President Joe Biden, in meetings with his overseas business partners using speakerphone.
Archer is scheduled to share instances where Joe Biden was either physically present or connected via speakerphone while Hunter introduced him to foreign business partners and potential investors, New York Post reporter Miranda Devine reported late Sunday.
Archer’s testimony is anticipated to shed light on the relationship between Joe Biden and his son’s business dealings and the involvement of foreign partners.
One meeting involving Joe Biden reportedly took place in Dubai on December 4, 2015, after a board meeting of the Ukrainian energy company Burisma, which paid Hunter $83,000 monthly as a director.
Archer will detail how after dinner, he and Hunter met with one of Hunter’s friends at the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach. During this meeting, a senior Burisma executive named Vadym Pozharskyi urgently asked to speak to Hunter. Hunter then called his father on speakerphone and introduced him to the Ukrainians.
Archer is also expected to provide more instances of speakerphone meetings, including one at a restaurant in Paris, where Hunter showcased his ability to get his father on the line to impress prospective investors.
During a dinner on April 16, 2015, Burisma executive Pozharskyi attended, along with Russian billionaire Yelena Baturina and her husband, former Moscow mayor Yury Luzhkov.
The day after this dinner, Pozharskyi sent an email to Hunter, expressing his appreciation for the invitation to Washington, DC, and the opportunity to meet Joe Biden. In the email, Pozharskyi wrote, “Dear Hunter, thank you for inviting me to DC and giving an opportunity to meet your father and spent [sic] some time together,” Pozharskyi wrote. “It’s realty [sic] an honor and pleasure.”
However, it remains unclear how often Joe Biden was aware that he was being used as leverage by his son, as sometimes Hunter would just speak to his father without acknowledging others were listening.
The context surrounding these meetings becomes crucial, as Ukrainian prosecutor general Viktor Shokin was investigating Burisma for corruption, and Joe Biden’s threat to withhold $1 billion in US aid to Ukraine led to Shokin’s firing.
“I looked at them and said: I’m leaving in six hours. If the prosecutor is not fired, you’re not getting the money,” Biden would brag to the Council on Foreign Relations. “Well, son of a bitch. He got fired.”
Archer is determined to testify as he believes it is his civic duty and has nothing to hide.
Tony Bobulinski, another former business partner, remembers an incident at the Chateau Marmont in LA where Hunter offered to connect his father on the phone during a meeting by the pool.
“Sitting with Hunter at Chateau Marmont before I first met Joe Biden on May 2, 2017, Hunter was adamant that his father takes his calls at any time, no matter what his lawyers say or with gatekeepers like Kate Bedingfield [former Biden spokesperson] playing interference,” he said.
“The American people don’t fully appreciate yet the key role Joe Biden played in the Biden family global influence peddling . . . I would equate it to a chairman’s role in a traditional business structure,” he added.
The identity of the “big guy,” a nickname used by Hunter’s business partners to refer to Joe Biden, will likely be discussed during Archer’s testimony. A recently released FBI document alleges that Burisma’s owner, Mykola Zlochevsky, claimed to have paid a $10 million bribe to Joe and Hunter Biden to ensure Shokin’s firing. The document also mentions recordings involving Joe and Hunter Biden, along with wire transfer statements indicating payments to the Bidens.
Is he dead yet?