House Democrat claims Hunter Biden made phone calls to his father during business meetings.

Joe Biden claimed he ‘never discussed business’ with Hunter

Hunter Biden repeatedly called his⁤ father on ‌speaker phone during business meetings, a House Democrat confirmed on Monday after President⁣ Joe Biden long claimed he “never discussed business with ‌my son.”

Rep. Dan Goldman’s (D., N.Y.) remarks ⁤following a closed-door hearing ⁤with one of Hunter Biden’s former business partners, Devon Archer, are a major concession from one ‌of the president’s biggest defenders in Congress. Although Goldman maintained that there was nothing improper about the conversations, Democrats have for months desperately tried to paint ​any scrutiny into​ Hunter Biden’s business dealings ⁤as‍ a dead end.

“It was clear that ​it was part of the daily conversations that Hunter Biden had with his ⁤father and it sounded like most of the time now-president Biden didn’t even know who ​the people were with at dinner and⁢ was just asked to ​say hello and he would ⁢talk about the weather,” Goldman said to reporters.

Goldman’s ​comments​ are bound to create more headaches for the​ president, who⁣ has told a shifting story about his⁢ knowledge of ⁢his son’s business ventures. Joe Biden said in August 2019 that he⁣ has “never discussed business with my ⁢son” and scolded a Fox⁣ News reporter the next month for asking if he talked ‍to Hunter about his foreign business.

Evidence has since emerged that Joe⁣ Biden attended at least two meetings to discuss Hunter’s work in China. ‍Amid those revelations, White House press secretary‌ Karine Jean-Pierre claimed this ‌month that Joe​ and Hunter Biden were never “in business” together.

Archer met with the House Oversight Committee on Monday​ to offer testimony about his relationship with the⁤ Biden family. Republican lawmakers ‍expressed interest in Archer’s reported claims that he was⁣ with Hunter Biden on two dozen occasions when the embattled businessman called his father.

Neither Archer nor Hunter Biden’s attorneys responded to an immediate request for comment.

A full transcript of that hearing is not⁤ yet public. Republicans have alleged for years that Joe Biden helped enrich his son—and possibly himself—through a ⁢variety of business schemes.

Archer planned to tell ‌lawmakers that Hunter Biden frequently dialed his father during‌ business meetings,​ according to reports. One⁣ of those alleged meetings was with executives from Burisma Holdings, a⁢ Ukrainian energy firm where Biden and Archer served as directors. Hunter Biden ⁤during a December 2015 meeting called his dad to say the energy firm‌ “needs our support,” Archer claimed.

Archer, who awaits sentencing after his conviction ⁤in 2018 for defrauding a Native American tribe in a $60 million⁢ bond scheme,​ has met with⁢ a federal grand jury, the Justice Department, and other federal agencies as part of “investigations concerning the ​Biden family,” his ⁢attorney told the Washington Free Beacon last week.

Archer’s testimony is the latest ‍in a series of dramatic developments concerning Hunter Biden. Last ⁤week, a plea deal he struck with federal prosecutors ‍over charges ‍related ‍to not ‍paying taxes and illegal firearm ownership fell apart‍ after‌ scrutiny from a⁤ federal‌ judge.

Republicans ‍previously criticized ‌Hunter Biden’s lenient treatment as a‌ “sweetheart deal,” and IRS whistleblowers have said they were ‍prepared to bring felony charges against ⁣him. Hunter Biden is expected to be back in court sometime next month.

It is unclear whether Archer and Biden remain on good terms. After Archer’s conviction ⁢was temporarily overturned in 2018, Biden expressed support for his longtime friend.

“Thank fucking god! First good news in way too long my friend. ⁢I am so happy for you,”⁤ Hunter Biden wrote Archer in November​ 2018, according to messages found on a copy of the former’s laptop.

But Archer voiced frustration with Biden months later, according⁤ to text messages.

“Why would they try to ruin my family ‌and destroy my kids and⁢ no one from your family’s side step in and at least try to help me,” Archer asked in a March 2019 text. “I don’t get it. And I’m depressed. Bunch of these Asians getting in my⁤ head asking me the same.”