Biden’s ‘intimidating’ reputation aided Ukrainian firm’s survival, claims Hunter’s former associate.

The Biden Family “Brand” and Its Impact on a Ukrainian Energy Company

The ‌Biden family “brand” helped a Ukrainian energy company stay in business, a former associate of​ first son ⁣ Hunter Biden told lawmakers this ⁢week.

Devon Archer, who⁤ served on the board of⁢ Burisma Holdings with Hunter Biden, testified to the GOP-led House Oversight Committee ⁣in⁢ a closed-door session on Monday, and‌ a lightly-redacted transcript was released on Thursday.

The transcript shows Archer said he was “not aware” of ⁤any wrongdoing by ‌President⁣ Joe Biden and had no knowledge of the elder‍ Biden, as⁤ vice​ president, altering U.S. foreign policy to benefit his son.

Still, Archer testified ⁤that he thought Burisma, beset by inquiries‌ seeking to root out corruption, “was able to survive for as⁤ long as it ‍did” because​ of‌ the Biden “brand.”

Archer explained the value of having the “Biden⁢ family” ‍associated with the company ‌while conceding⁤ that the⁣ “brand” ​mainly got its power from Joe Biden.

He said the Biden family ties⁢ sent out the “right signals” to open opportunities around the world ‌and offered the “capabilities to⁢ navigate D.C. that they were able to, you know, basically be in the news ‌cycle.”

Archer​ said Burisma executives would lean on Hunter Biden⁢ to “get help” in Washington, D.C., ‍which ⁤he​ took to mean “soft ‍lobbying help,” to alleviate “constant pressure”⁣ on ​the company.

At one point, Archer speculated that Hunter Biden sought to get‌ credit for his ​father making a visit to Ukraine because he “was getting ​paid a ⁤lot of⁣ money, and I think, you ‌know, ⁣he ​wanted to show value.”

Under questioning ‌by Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY), Archer talked about the impact of the Biden⁤ association, saying that “people would be intimidated to‌ mess with them.” Pressed to elaborate, Archer added, “legally.”

For years, Joe Biden claimed to⁣ have never⁣ spoken to Hunter about his business dealings, but lately, the White House has taken to saying the elder Biden never did business with his‌ son. ​Hunter‍ Biden is facing a federal criminal investigation and may⁣ yet be charged with Foreign Agents Registration Act‌ (FARA) violations, as attested by prosecutors in ‍court last week, as ⁢his plea deal ​involving tax and​ gun charges hit⁤ a roadblock.

With the release ‍of the transcript on Thursday, the House Oversight Committee touted ⁤in a series​ of posts to X how Archer’s testimony “confirmed several critical pieces of information in our investigation of the Bidens’ influence peddling schemes.”

In‍ addition to pointing out passages about the Biden “brand,” the oversight panel highlighted Archer testifying about⁤ how Hunter Biden put his father on speaker phone roughly 20 times during meetings with ​business associates from⁣ around the​ world and then-Vice President‍ Joe Biden attending dinners with his‌ son’s foreign business associates‌ “who wired money to Biden associated LLCs.”

Democrats have claimed the inquiry is tainted by politics while the president has called corruption allegations “a bunch of malarkey.” As emphasized by ​Goldman before the transcript was released, Archer recalled Joe Biden’s conversations⁣ with his son’s business associates being casual, sticking to broad or innocuous‍ topics such‍ as “the‌ world” ‌and the weather.

Archer, a former John Kerry presidential campaign adviser, was sentenced in 2022 to roughly​ a year⁢ in prison after ​being⁢ convicted in a Native⁢ American tribal entity fraud scheme in which Hunter ​Biden was not implicated, but the prison sentence had been delayed amid the appeals process.‍ The ⁤Department ⁤of Justice has asked a judge in the Southern ⁣District of New York to‍ pick a time for Archer to surrender and begin his time behind bars.

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