Hunter Biden’s former business partner, Devon Archer, is set to receive a full and unconditional pardon, according to an exclusive disclosure by President Donald Trump to the New York Post. The announcement was made during a meeting at the NCAA wrestling championships in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on March 22, organized by Tony Bobulinski, another former associate of Hunter Biden who became a whistleblower.
“He’s getting a full pardon,” Trump confirmed on Sunday. “He was screwed by the Bidens. They destroyed him like they tried to destroy a lot of people. A full pardon,” Trump reiterated, referring to Archer as an “anti-Biden person” for his role in exposing alleged corruption by the Biden family. This clemency will end a lengthy legal battle for Archer, who faced imprisonment for securities fraud related to a failed financial deal with Hunter Biden in 2015.
Archer expressed gratitude to President Trump, acknowledging the recognition of his situation as part of a complex legal campaign aiming to ruin and silence him. He noted the significant impact on his life, attributing it to what he described as the Biden family’s disregard for truth and others’ well-being.
The Southern District of New York initially focused on Hunter in the Archer investigation. Due to his father Joe Biden’s vice presidency, Hunter was labeled a “politically exposed person” in reports by a Morgan Stanley risk assessor. He received $200,000 as vice chairman of a financial services firm embroiled in a $60 million tribal bonds fraud, while Archer claimed financial losses from the firm’s collapse. Hunter faced no charges and did not testify, whereas Archer was convicted of fraud in 2018.
Archer’s legal battle has been complicated, with claims of being a victim of the “Obama-Biden legal apparatus” that allegedly protected Hunter. District Judge Ronnie Abrams initially overturned Archer’s jury conviction in 2018, citing insufficient evidence of his awareness or benefit from the fraud. However, the conviction was reinstated on appeal two years later. In 2022, he was sentenced to a year in prison with nearly $60 million in fines and restitution, only for the sentence to be overturned on a technicality, with a resentencing set for later this year.
The legal issues have affected Archer, 51, his wife Krista, and their three children. His name appeared frequently in Hunter’s abandoned “laptop from hell,” although not linked to Hunter’s personal issues. Hunter once called Archer his “best friend in business.” Joe Biden often thanked Archer for supporting his son.
Allegedly, the Biden family cut ties with Archer once he became a liability. Archer was among the first whistleblowers to testify at the House impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden’s involvement in Hunter’s influence-peddling activities.
Beyond his involvement with Burisma Holdings, Devon Archer co-founded BHR Partners in 2013 with Hunter Biden and Chinese financier Jonathan Li. This China-based private equity fund was created to facilitate cross-border investments, with Archer and Biden holding a 10% equity stake through Rosemont Seneca Partners. BHR Partners was involved in several notable transactions, including advising a Chinese state-owned enterprise on acquiring an Australian mining company and assisting a subsidiary of a Chinese defense company in buying a Michigan auto parts manufacturer. These transactions have attracted scrutiny due to potential political connections in international business.
Archer’s business ventures also included collaborations with Russian businesswoman Yelena Baturina, the wife of former Moscow mayor Yury Luzhkov. In 2014, Baturina transferred $3.5 million to Rosemont Seneca Thornton, a partnership involving Archer, reportedly for real estate investments in Brooklyn, New York. While Hunter Biden’s attorney has denied any financial ties between Biden and Baturina, the transaction has been examined for potential foreign influence and political connections.
In July 2023, Archer testified before the House Oversight Committee regarding his business dealings with Hunter Biden. He stated that Hunter Biden sold the “illusion of access” to his father, President Joe Biden, but did not provide evidence of direct involvement by the president in business activities. Archer also testified that over ten years, Hunter Biden put his father on speakerphone about 20 times with business associates, though these conversations did not cover business topics.
