House Republicans’ investigation into the business dealings of the president’s son, Hunter Biden, is facing another setback now that a key witness has cancelled his deposition before GOP Representative James Comer’s committee for a third time.
Comer confirmed to Fox News that Devon Archer, a former Burisma board member and business partner of Hunter Biden’s, cancelled the deposition he was scheduled to attend on Monday, marking the third appearance Archer has failed to show for. A spokesperson for congressman told Newsweek that Archer has been scheduled to sit down for a transcribed interview with the House Oversight on Monday, July 31. The original deadline for Archer’s deposition was June 16.
The panel’s investigation into Hunter Biden has faced a number of obstacles. Three weeks ago, Democrats on the committee pointed to testimony that directly contradicted claims accusing President Joe Biden of assisting Burisma Holdings, a natural gas company that his son sat on the board of between 2014 and 2019, with any business deals or meetings while he was vice president.
Before that, House Republicans were also forced to admit to losing the whereabouts of their key informant and to question the existence of audio tapes they had previously pointed to as evidence against Hunter Biden.
Newsweek reached out to Comer for comment.
Committee chairman Rep. James Comer (R-KY) arrives for a House Oversight Committee hearing related to the Justice Department’s investigation of Hunter Biden, on Capitol Hill July 19, 2023, in Washington, D.C. The committee heard testimony from two whistleblowers from the Internal Revenue Service who allege that the Hunter Biden criminal probe was mishandled by the Department of Justice.
Drew Angerer/Getty
Comer subpoenaed Archer last month, saying that it was important for lawmakers to hear from him since he “played a significant role in the Biden family’s business deals abroad, including China, Russia, and Ukraine.”
“Mr. Archer’s testimony is critical to the Committee’s investigation,” Comer wrote to Archer’s counsel, Matthew Schwartz, in a June 12 letter. “Mr. Archer was Hunter Biden’s business partner in a number of transactions involving foreign nationals and foreign companies. Mr. Archer is associated with corporate entities that the Committee has identified and the Biden family’s role in each of them. Furthermore, he has significant information regarding the purpose of these companies and knowledge of relevant documents related to the Committee’s investigation.”
Comer said that Archer’s deposition was “critical” to helping his committee draft legislation that “delivers more transparency to the American people, deters foreign interests from attempting to obtain influence over and access to the highest levels of the federal government by entering into business deals with Presidential and Vice Presidential family members, discourages such family members from profiting from their relative’s public service, and ensures the nation is safe from our foreign adversaries.”
The White House has denied allegations that Biden was ever involved with his son’s business dealings. On Monday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reiterated that the president was “never in business with his son,” but stopped short of answering whether he was put on speakerphone while his son conducted business.
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