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Devon Archer, Hunter Biden’s former business partner, is scheduled to testify before a GOP-led House Committee on Capitol Hill on Monday, July 31. However, there have been speculations surrounding his possible arrest due to an unrelated conviction.
The businessman is supposed to serve a sentence of one year in prison after he was convicted in a fraud case in 2018, unrelated to the Republican-led investigations into Hunter Biden. Devon is set to testify against Hunter in the congressional meeting.
On Saturday, July 29, the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York submitted a request to Judge Ronnie Abrams and urged her to schedule a reporting date for Devon so that he can begin serving his sentence. However, the court is not expected to come to a decision about the businessman before his scheduled testimony on Monday.
So, even if the court sides with the request made by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Devon Archer need not surrender to prison before his meeting with the House Committee. Moreover, his lawyer asserted in a statement that he will proceed with the scheduled appearance on Monday.
Devon Archer's arrest attempt garners backlash from Republicans
The DOJ request stirred some speculations among Republicans that Joe Biden’s administration was trying to prevent Devon from testifying before the House Oversight Committee.
Further, many called the Biden administration corrupt and hinted that the sudden request for Devon Archer's arrest was their doing.
More about the DOJ's request and Devon Archer's attorney's response
Devon had been challenging his conviction by a series of appeals that ultimately postponed his sentence. The letter sent by the DOJ “respectfully” requested that the defendant (Devon) be ordered by the court to surrender to a Bureau of Prisons-designated facility at a determined date and time to begin his term of captivity.
Despite the speculations about the Biden government deliberately trying to get Devon Archer arrested before his Monday testimony, his attorney, Matthew Schwartz said otherwise.
In a statement on Sunday, Devon’s lawyer said that his client doesn’t think the Department of Justice’s request is linked to his closed-door interview in any way. Schwartz asserted:
“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 on Monday."
He further stated:
"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.”
Devon’s lawyer is expected to draft a formal response to the DOJ request by Wednesday, August 2. Matthew Schwartz had previously argued that it was a hasty decision to pick a date for his client’s imprisonment as Devon was considering his potential appeal options.
