House Republicans launched attacks on the Department of Justice Sunday for what they said were efforts to “obstruct” their investigation of Hunter Biden.
The House Oversight Committee is set to have a behind-closed-doors meeting with Devon Archer, Biden’s business partner and former board member of the Ukrainian energy company Burisma, on Monday. Republicans are trying to find evidence that President Joe Biden personally assisted Burisma while his son, Hunter, sat on its board and Biden served as vice president of the U.S.
The witness is reportedly going to say that Biden put his father on speakerphone several times during business calls.
But Archer was convicted in 2018 of conspiracy to defraud a Native American tribe and his prison sentence has been delayed by appeals. On Saturday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York told the judge in the case to schedule a date for him to report to prison, according to Newsweek.
House Republicans lost no time in claiming the move was designed to halt their investigation, though the date for prison is not expected to affect Monday’s hearing.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fl) tweeted Sunday: “The DOJ is now actively committing the crime of obstructing a congressional investigation.
“If Devin Archer isn’t in the witness chair Monday, we better haul every SOB at the DOJ before congress EVERY DAY to make them pay for this. Lmk – I’ll come back to Washington tomorrow to do this. Archer is in that chair or Garland is. Yield me the time and let me ask the questions. I’ll handle it from there.”
He tagged House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability James Comer and Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee Jim Jordan.
Representative Mike Johnson (R-La) tweeted back, “I will join you back on the Hill. This is almost unbelievable!”
Comer (R-Ky) on Sunday told Fox’s Maria Bartiromo, “The letter from the Department of Justice is trying to nudge the judge to go ahead and sentence Devon Archer for something unrelated than what we’re going to be talking to him about tomorrow.
“It’s odd that it was issued on a Saturday, and it’s odd that it’s right before he’s scheduled to come in and have an opportunity to speak in front of the House Oversight Committee and tell the American people the truth about what really went on with Burisma. So, I don’t know if this is a coincidence Maria, or if this is another example of the weaponization of the Department of Justice.”
And Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga) tweeted, “The DOJ has gone rogue! They are actively intimidating our witness and coordinating to cover up Biden crimes! I’m happy to go back to Washington to do whatever it takes to stop this rogue weaponized government!!”
