Will Hunter Biden’s Burisma Partner Devon Archer Rat on His Pal?

Back in the day, mothers were known to warn their children to be careful with whom they associated. It went something like this: “Your friends say a lot about who you are.” While this type of admonition may seem quaint in the 21st century, there is no denying its wisdom. On Feb. 28, one of Hunter Biden’s closest colleagues – a man who partnered with him in multiple business dealings – was sentenced to a year and a day in prison. Biden-the-younger claims he knew nothing of his best friend’s crooked investment venture and was not involved in Devon Archer’s scheme to defraud a Native American tribe of $60 million. Still, the reality of a close friend heading off to prison at the very least reflects poorly on the president’s son. And at most it means that the walls may be closing in on Hunter.

Archer Needs Options

So, what are Archer’s options now? Some critics like Miranda Devine of the New York Post say one way to avoid 366 days behind bars is to get a presidential pardon. The other, of course, is the age-old method of squealing on bigger fish to save one’s skin. This is where things may get a bit dicey for Hunter.

Archer and Biden, along with Christopher Heinz (of the ketchup fortune), were key players in the investment firm of Rosemont Seneca Partners, LLC. This is the same organization linked to the Ukrainian energy group known as Burisma, where the then-vice president’s son was appointed to the board of directors. Once Biden joined Burisma, Heinz ended his business relationship with Hunter, but Archer stayed on. “The lack of judgment in this matter was a major catalyst for Mr. Heinz ending his business relationships with Mr. Archer and Mr. Biden,” Heinz spokesman Chris Bastardi told the New York Post in September 2019 when the split occurred.

It would not be a stretch to say there is perhaps no one on the planet who knows more about Hunter Biden’s business dealings than Devon Archer; they have been close friends since their days at Yale. A famous photo of Archer, Hunter, and Joe Biden as vice president smiling for the camera on a golf outing is evidence of their intimate personal relationship. Archer also is on record visiting the White House on April 14, 2014. For sure, they were good buddies, but, as is often the case with friendships, things may have gone awry.

“Hunter promised Archer in a 2019 text message that he is ‘part of a great family — not a sideshow, not deserted by them even in your darkest moments. That’s the way Bidens are different, and you are a Biden,’” the Post reported. But the lifelong friendship had its ups and downs if a voice message recorded on Hunter’s abandoned laptop is to be believed:

“’My best friend in business, Devon, has named me as a witness, without telling me, in a criminal case,’ he wails. ‘I’m talking about a f–king criminal case in which Devon has named me as a witness.’”

Head Hunter

With that statement, the president’s son made clear to all that Archer was his “best friend in business,” which is quite telling. Thus, one is left to wonder if, after a few days in prison garb instead of one of his expensive Brunello Cucinelli suits, Archer may be willing to spill the beans on his BFF. At the very least, he could use it as a sword of Damocles over Hunter’s head to pressure his father -- the sitting president -- to issue a pardon.

For sure, should a pardon be granted, the optics are not beneficial for either Biden. But when the walls begin to close in, desperate times call for desperate measures. In the current situation, it would not be an exaggeration to say Devon Archer is, indeed, desperate.

~ Read more from Leesa K. Donner.