On Thursday, the House Oversight and Reform Committee released a full transcript of Devon Archer’s interview from earlier this week.
The close friend of Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden’s son, testified on Monday. There have been conflicting reports about what he said, leading to calls for the transcript.
Archer said at one point that President Biden was on speakerphone 20 times, supporting his son in business deals. He also alleged that Burisma officials did not want a Ukrainian prosecutor fired because they had him “under control.”
Archer worked alongside Hunter Biden for the Rosemont Seneca Partners investment firm. Both became board members for Burisma, the Ukrainian energy company, in 2014.
“My only thought is that I think Burisma would have gone out of business if it didn’t have the brand attached to it. That’s my, like, only honest opinion,” Archer said in his testimony, according to the transcript. “The capabilities to navigate D.C. that they were able to, you know, basically be in the news cycle. And I think that preserved them from a, you know, from a longevity standpoint.”
Archer testified about the “Biden brand,” which referred to the former vice president’s influence.
He also testified that the “Biden brand” referred mostly to Joe Biden because he “brought the most value to the brand.”
“Well, I think there was — there are particular, you know, objectives that Burisma was trying to accomplish. And a lot of it’s about opening doors, you know, globally in D.C. And I think that, you know, that was the, you know — and then obviously having those doors opened, you know, sent the right signals, you know, for Burisma to, you know, carry on its business and be successful,” Archer testified.
Archer said he had no knowledge of a bribery scheme involving the Bidens.
“There are touch points and contact points that I can’t deny that happened, but nothing of material was discussed,” Archer told lawmakers earlier this week.
“I have no basis to understand what his father and his conversations were about policy in Ukraine. But, as you can see, that seems pretty familiar, that, you know, he can’t influence it but take credit for it,” Archer testified.
Archer said Hunter Biden was giving the false impression to Burisma executives that he had influence over U.S. policy.
U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) asked, “So is it fair to say that Hunter Biden was selling the illusion of access to his father?”
“Yes,” Archer replied.
