Willie R. Tubbs, FISM News
[elfsight_social_share_buttons id=”1″]
As has been the case most of this week, Democrats and Republicans continue to be split over what to make of Devon Archer’s testimony about his dealings with former business partner Hunter Biden or then-Vice President Joe Biden.
The only thing that the two sides agree on, seemingly, is that an interview took place and that a transcript exists. After that, both sides have dug deeply into their respective foxholes.
Part of the reason for the split is that Archer offered statements that made it easy for either side to curate his remarks to their advantage.
Objectively, Archer testified that he had no knowledge of the elder Biden engaging in illegal activity.
“I have no basis to know if he altered policy to benefit his son. … I have no knowledge,” Archer said.
However, Archer also stated that Joe Biden had met with Hunter’s business partners and that Hunter traded on the idea that there was a direct link to his father, what Democrats say was an “illusion of access.”
During Archer’s testimony, Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) used the phrase in asking Archer if Hunter was selling his partners on the idea that Hunter could provide a fast track into Washington. Archer agreed and added that money was made based on the Biden name.
“I think Burisma would have gone out of business if it didn’t have the brand attached to it,” Archer said. “That’s my, like, only honest opinion.”
Archer also discussed two dinners, one in 2014 and one in 2015, that Joe Biden attended along with Hunter, although Archer stated Joe Biden did not discuss business at either.
House Oversight Republicans were quick to attack the notion that Hunter was pretending to have extreme sway with the Obama administration.
A tweet from the Oversight Committee reads: “The Biden ‘illusion of access’ apparently includes: Then-VP Joe Biden talking with Hunter’s shady foreign business associates 20+ times; Letter of recommendation from VP Biden for Hunter’s Chinese business associate’s daughter; Dinners at Café Milano with the VP; Help from D.C. regarding a Ukrainian prosecutor investigating Burisma; Coffee with then-VP Biden in Beijing.”
The Biden “illusion of access” apparently includes:
◾️Then-VP Joe Biden talking with Hunter’s shady foreign business associates 20+ times
◾️Letter of recommendation from VP Biden for Hunter’s Chinese business associate’s daughter
◾️Dinners at Café Milano with the VP
◾️Help… https://t.co/ap5qn6Y5s6
— Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) August 1, 2023
Democrats held firm in their attestation that Republicans are engaging in a fishing expedition, looking for a reason to impeach or otherwise damage the political prospects of the president.
“Once again, Committee Republicans’ priority investigation into President Biden has failed to produce any evidence of wrongdoing by President Biden,” Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) said in a statement. “On Monday, [Archer] confirmed in a transcribed interview that President Biden was never involved in Hunter’s business dealings, never profited from such dealings, and never took official action in relation to these business dealings.”
Raskin continued, “The transcript released today shows the extent to which Congressional Republicans are willing to distort, twist, and manipulate the facts presented by their own witness just to keep fueling the far-right media’s obsession with fabricating wrongdoing by President Biden in a desperate effort to distract from Donald Trump’s third indictment and the overwhelming evidence of his persistent efforts to undermine American democracy.”
LEFT AND RIGHT BICKER OVER TRANSCRIPT RELEASE
Even the idea of releasing a transcript became contentious as Democrats accused Republicans of cherry-picking or misrepresenting Archer’s testimony.
“I would urge Comer rather than to continue to send out misinformation about what transpired in the interview… put out the transcript,” Goldman said during an appearance on CNN.
House Oversight Republicans responded to Goldman’s insinuation that Republicans were refusing to share the transcript with a scathing retort.
“Democrats can’t explain President Biden’s lies about talking with Hunter’s business associates so they are now pretending not to know how congressional transcripts work,” a tweet from the Oversight Committee reads. “@RepDanGoldman was a staffer not long ago and knows that every transcribed interview goes through the same process. First we need to receive it from the court reporters (we haven’t yet!), and then the witness gets the chance to review it. Once that process has happened, we will release the transcript. Also, no one believes Joe only talked about the weather.”