Biden probe charges forward with interview of key associate, possible whistleblower testimony

Fresh from a July 4 holiday break, congressional investigators are preparing to charge forward in the Hunter Biden probe with a planned interview with one of his closest business associates, as well as possibly the first public testimony from two IRS whistleblowers. 

Congressional investigators are planning to interview, as early as the middle of this month, former Rosemont Seneca business partner Devon Archer, who interacted with Hunter Biden and his father, President Joe Biden.

Archer, who is waiting to serve a prison sentence in a tribal fraud scheme, has direct knowledge about some of the most controversial Hunter Biden overseas business deals, including the one with Ukrainian energy company Burisma Holdings. Archer and Hunter Biden serve together on the company’s board starting in 2014, when Joe Biden was vice president.

Congressional investigators hope to question Archer about whether Joe Biden was involved in any matters related to Burisma, a key question that has emerged since the revelation that an FBI informant came forward in 2017 alleging the Biden family engaged in a $10 million bribery scheme involving Burisma. The FBI says that obligation is part of an ongoing investigation.

If Archer, who was subpoenaed a few weeks ago by the GOP-led House Oversight Committee, provides testimony, he will become one of the closest Biden family business associates to assist the congressional probe. 

Another business associate, Rob Walker, gave information to the FBI alleging that Joe Biden did attend a meeting with Chinese business executives who were working with Hunter Biden, according to recently released congressional testimony. 

While, some of the attention turns to Archer, the lawyer for one of the IRS whistleblowers who recently rocked Washington with allegations of political interference in the Hunter  Biden criminal tax probe, says his client and a second whistleblower may soon testify in public for the first time, before the House Ways and Means committee.

Tristan Leavitt, president of the Empower Oversight whistleblower center, said Supervisory Agent Gary Shapley and one of his subordinates could give public testimony in the coming weeks after previously submitting to closed-door transcribed interviews.

Asked whether public testimony was on the horizon, Leavitt said: “Yeah, I think it absolutely is. And in fact, you know, I wouldn't be surprised if we were even to get to a stage where perhaps the second IRS whistleblower might also be willing to appear publicly.

“These are individuals who stand by what they've told Congress, and they're not ashamed. They have nothing to hide. ... Gary's not a political person. He's not an ideological person. The second whistleblower, you know, has described himself as a Democrat. And he's been the main case agent on the Hunter Biden case throughout. And so I think Congress has a strong interest in talking to them.”

Meanwhile, Leavitt and the other members of the legal team representing Shapley are ratcheting up the pressure on the Washington Post, after a Hunter Biden’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, accused Shapley of being the source of leak in the newspaper last October.

Shapley has already submitted an affidavit to the House Ways and Means Committee in which he swears he was not the source for the October 6, 2022 Post story in question.

Now, Leavitt said he wants to newspaper to publicly confirm his client was not the source in the bunk, the allegations from the Hunter Biden legal team.

l“He never talked to any Washington Post reporters,"Leavitt said of his client. "He's never leaked confidential taxpayer information. And so we are now calling upon the Washington Post to confirm that he is not the source for this story. So far, all they've done is repeat rather uncritically on his attorney’s letters and their allegations, but we hope that they will come clean.

“And if they don't do anything, they're simply being accessories to the Hunter Biden legal defense."