The Biden ‘Brand’: Devon Archer Reveals the ‘Niceties’ of Influence-Peddling
Published 08/01/23 09:00 AM ET|Updated 08/01/23 10:08 AM ET
Jonathan Turley
“There were niceties." That description by Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) of calls between President Joe Biden, his son Hunter, and Hunter’s foreign business associates may, strangely, be the most accurate thing the freshman congressman has ever said.
The almost-two-dozen calls — detailed by Hunter Biden's close friend and former business partner, Devon Archer, during a closed-door interview Monday with House Oversight Committee investigators — were indeed "the niceties" of influence-peddling. The calls presumably were intended to show that Hunter Biden could deliver his father and to support what Archer called "the brand." Hunter had no relevant experience or appreciable business skills, but he had the vice president of the United States on speed-dial.
The selection of Goldman as the only committee Democrat in the interview was ironic. Goldman was a Democratic staff attorney when the House impeached Donald Trump in 2019 largely on the basis of a single telephone call to the president of Ukraine. Now, however, Goldman is calling for an immediate cessation of any further investigation, in an almost comical display of denial and deflection.
Goldman helped demolish Biden's long-standing defense in another hearing just a week earlier. In an effort to defuse the testimony of two IRS whistleblowers, who said Hunter received special protection from their criminal investigation, Goldman tripped the wire and elicited testimony that Joe Biden may in fact have spoken with his son about foreign dealings — something the president has denied for years.
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https://themessenger.com/opinion/the-biden-brand-devon-archer-reveals-the-niceties-of-influence-peddling
