Devon Archer’s lawyer says he won’t surrender before meeting with lawmakers, as requested by the DOJ
Five House Republicans are urging their fellow lawmakers, who are currently on a legislative recess, to return to Capitol Hill. This call comes in response to the Department of Justice’s request for Hunter Biden’s business partner, Devon Archer, to surrender to prison. Archer was expected to testify on Monday about the Biden family’s business dealings and the alleged involvement of President Biden in securing these deals.
Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), Mike Johnson (R-La.), Chip Roy (R-Texas), Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.), and Dan Bishop (R-N.C.) expressed their concerns on social media, demanding an emergency hearing in Washington, D.C., to address potential DOJ interference in the congressional investigation of President Biden and Hunter Biden.
Matt Gaetz stated on social media that the DOJ is actively obstructing the congressional investigation and warned that if Devon Archer fails to appear for his scheduled testimony, they will hold the DOJ accountable by summoning Attorney General Merrick Garland to testify.
According to another post, Rep. Matt Gaetz asserted that the Department of Justice’s request for Devon Archer’s surrender is connected to the convergence of issues involving Hunter Biden and Joe Biden with Archer’s testimony.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York sent a letter to Devon Archer on Saturday, urging him to surrender to prison about his 2018 felony convictions related to a conspiracy to defraud a Native American tribe. While he was sentenced to one year in prison in 2022, the execution of the sentence has been repeatedly delayed due to a series of appeals.
Make that four.
— Rep. Harriet Hageman (@RepHageman) July 30, 2023
While I plan to be in Wyoming visiting constituents- this is imperative and warrants immediate action. I will also join. @mattgaetz @RepMikeJohnson @chiproytx https://t.co/PINrmfOYco
Johnson, Roy, and the others swiftly expressed support for Gaetz.
“I will join you back on the Hill, Rep. Matt Gaetz,” Johnson tweeted. Roy agreed.
“Make that four,” Hageman added. “While I plan to be in Wyoming visiting constituents- this is imperative and warrants immediate action. I will also join.”
Bishop added: “I think you need five. Count me in.”
“Subpoenas should fly tomorrow,” he also wrote.
The Republicans are each on the House Judiciary Committee.
I think you need five. Count me in.
— Rep. Dan Bishop (@RepDanBishop) July 31, 2023
Subpoenas should fly tomorrow. https://t.co/3Rfl8poGj4
The letter to Devon Archer did not explicitly demand that he go to prison before his Monday testimony; instead, it requested him to set a date to begin his jail sentence. The document stated, “In light of the foregoing, the Government respectfully requests that the defendant be ordered to surrender, at a date and time determined by the Court, to a facility designated by the Bureau of Prisons to commence his term of imprisonment.”
The court is not anticipated to decide Archer’s closed-door meeting with the House Oversight Committee. The U.S. Attorney’s Office acknowledged in a subsequent letter that Archer is not expected to surrender before he meets with congressional lawmakers.
“To clarify the situation, the Government has never requested, nor is it requesting, that the defendant surrender before his Congressional testimony,” states the letter sent on Sunday. It further explains, “As the Court is aware, before commencing his sentence of imprisonment, the defendant must first be designated to a federal facility by the Bureau of Prisons—a process that may take several weeks or months after the Court sets a surrender date.”
Archer’s attorney, Matthew Schwartz, asserted that his client remains committed to his planned appearance on Monday and refuted the notion that the DOJ’s request for Archer’s surrender is an attempt to hinder his meeting with House members. In a statement to POLITICO, Schwartz stated, “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. 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.”
James Comer, R-Ky., the Chair of the House Oversight Committee, remarked during an interview on US Newzs’ “Sunday Morning Futures” that the timing of Saturday’s letter was “odd.”
Archer’s testimony before the House Oversight Committee is scheduled to commence at 9 a.m. on Monday, July 31.