Devon Archer, the former business partner of Hunter Biden, is fighting to avoid jail time as he prepares to testify before a Congressional committee on Monday in the GOP‘s ongoing investigation of the first son.
While his jail time is unrelated to his closer doors testimony before the House Oversight Committee, it comes at a significant time, as Republicans have touted Archer’s testimony as a pivotal turn in the investigation into the Justice Department‘s interference with the Hunter Biden investigation.
REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES TEST HOW FAR THEY CAN GO IN CRITICIZING TRUMP
Archer was convicted in July 2018 on two felony charges for his role in a conspiracy to defraud a Native American tribe. Despite being sentenced in 2022, he has avoided prison time due to a series of appeals that his defense has filed.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York wrote to trial judge Ronnie Abrams on Saturday asking her to schedule a date for Archer to report to prison.
In the letter, assistant U.S. attorney Negar Tekeei told Abrams that prosecutors had asked Matthew Schwartz, Archer’s attorney, to recommend a reporting date, per Politico. However, Schwartz rejected that request, saying it was “premature” to set a date when the defense had more appeals planned. He plans to file an official response to the U.S. attorney’s demands by Wednesday.
The court is not expected to make a decision before Archer arrives on Capitol Hill to testify, and Schwartz said in a statement to Politico that Archer will move forward with Monday’s planned testimony.
However, Republican lawmakers are reacting to the revelation of the DOJ asking for Archer to set a date to report to prison.
Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and Mike Johnson (R-LA) are calling on lawmakers from the House Judiciary Committee to return to Capitol Hill for “immediate emergency hearings” on the matter.
Gaetz said on X that the DOJ is “actively committing the crime of obstructing a congressional investigation.”
“If [Devon] Archer isn’t in the witness chair Monday, we better haul every SOB at the DOJ before congress EVERY DAY to make them pay for this. Lmk – I’ll come back to Washington tomorrow to do this. Archer is in that chair or Garland is,” Gaetz posted.
Johnson echoed Gaetz, saying, “I’ll join you back on the Hill.”
“This is all because Hunter’s problems and Joe’s problems merge with the testimony of [Devon] Archer. Time for Action. Right now,” Gaetz said in response to Johnson.
Comer said on “Sunday Morning Futures” with Maria Bartiromo that it was “odd” to see the DOJ issue a letter on a weekend.
“It’s odd that it was issued on a Saturday, and it’s odd that it’s right before he’s scheduled to come in to speak in front of the House Oversight Committee and tell the American people the truth about what really went on with Burisma,” Comer said.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Schwartz dismissed any speculation that there is a connection between Monday’s hearing and the DOJ’s letter.
“We are 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,” Schwartz said. “To be clear, Mr. Archer does not agree with that speculation. In any case, Mr. Archer will do what he has planned to do all along, which is to show up on Monday and to honestly answer the questions that are put to him by the Congressional investigators.”
