Former Hunter Biden business associate Devon Archer received a letter from the Department of Justice (DOJ) this week regarding reporting to jail right before his planned testimony to the House Oversight Committee. Both the prospective jail sentence and testimony may have a major bearing on the investigation of President Joe Biden’s son.
The July 29 letter from the DOJ to Archer was sent two days prior to his planned testimony before Congress. Archer is currently facing a prison sentence for fraud. The letter did not stipulate a specific date for Archer to report to prison.
Archer’s attorney Matthew Schwartz said that he and his client were “aware of speculation that the Department of Justice’s weekend request to have Mr. Archer report to prison is an attempt by the Biden administration to intimidate him in advance of his meeting with the House Oversight Committee.”
However, he said that Archer “does not agree with that speculation.” Schwartz added that his client would show up for his planned testimony.
The request was criticized by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) who said that the “DOJ is now actively committing the crime of obstructing a congressional investigation.”
Gaetz’s tweet was replied to by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), who wrote that the current situation “is getting to be Banana Republic territory.”
Despite the letter requesting Archer to report to jail, the DOJ relented Sunday and allowed him to testify before the congressional panel.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams wrote to District Judge Ronnie Abrams, stating that the federal government “understands that the defendant is scheduled to provide testimony to Congress tomorrow.”
Williams stated that the DOJ did not want Archer to “surrender before his Congressional testimony.”
The U.S. Attorney also wrote that the process of Archer’s surrender for imprisonment could “take several weeks or months after the Court sets a surrender date.”
“Nonetheless, for the avoidance of all doubt, the Government requests that any surrender date, should the Court order one, be scheduled to occur after the defendant’s Congressional testimony is completed,” the letter read.
BREAKING: BIDEN DOJ BLINKS – FILES NEW LETTER ALLOWING DEVON ARCHER TO TESTIFY TOMORROW
They felt the pressure pic.twitter.com/op8BHgFKGd
— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) July 31, 2023