Hunter Biden’s former business partner, Devon Archer, will receive a full and unconditional pardon, as announced by President Donald Trump in an exclusive interview with the New York Post. The announcement was made at the NCAA wrestling championships in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on the evening of March 22, an event organized by Tony Bobulinski, another former associate of Hunter Biden who turned whistleblower.
“He’s getting a full pardon,” Trump confirmed. “He was screwed by the Bidens. They destroyed him like they tried to destroy a lot of people. A full pardon,” Trump reiterated. He referred to Archer as an “anti-Biden person” due to Archer’s key role in exposing alleged corruption involving the Bidens. This presidential clemency will bring an end to Archer’s decade-long legal battle over securities fraud related to a failed business deal with Hunter Biden in 2015.
Archer has expressed his gratitude toward President Trump, acknowledging the president’s identification of him as a victim of an intricate legal campaign intended to ruin and silence him. He stated that his life was significantly affected by what he considered the Biden family’s disregard for truth and others’ welfare.
The investigation by the Southern District of New York initially focused on Hunter Biden, in which Archer was also involved. Hunter, seen as a “politically exposed person” because of his father Joe Biden’s vice presidency, was mentioned in suspicious activity reports by a Morgan Stanley risk assessor. He received $200,000 as vice chairman of a financial services firm implicated in a $60 million tribal bonds fraud, while Archer claimed he lost millions when the firm failed. Hunter faced no charges and did not testify, whereas Archer was convicted of fraud in 2018.
Archer’s legal journey has been challenging, as he alleges he was targeted by the “Obama-Biden legal apparatus” that supposedly protected Hunter. District Judge Ronnie Abrams initially overturned Archer’s jury conviction in 2018 due to lack of evidence of his involvement or gain from the fraud. However, Archer’s conviction was reinstated on appeal two years later, and in 2022, he was sentenced to a year in prison with almost $60 million in fines and restitution. His sentence was later overturned on a technicality, with a resentencing planned for this year.
These legal issues have affected Archer, 51, his wife Krista, and their three children. His name appears frequently in Hunter’s abandoned “laptop from hell,” but not in connection to Hunter’s private matters such as substance abuse and personal issues. Hunter once called Archer his “best friend in business,” and Joe Biden often expressed gratitude to Archer for supporting his son.
Reportedly, the Biden family cut ties with Archer when he became a liability. Archer was among the initial whistleblowers to testify during the House impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden’s connection to Hunter’s influence-peddling activities.
In addition to his dealings 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 support cross-border investments, with Archer and Biden each holding a 10% equity stake via Rosemont Seneca Partners. BHR Partners was involved in various significant deals, including advising a Chinese state-owned company on acquiring an Australian mining company and helping a Chinese defense company subsidiary purchase a Michigan auto parts manufacturer. These ventures have raised questions about the potential impact of political connections in global business operations.
Archer’s business activities 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. This transaction was 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 in discussions on foreign influence and political connections.
In July 2023, Archer testified before the House Oversight Committee regarding his business interactions with Hunter Biden. He stated that Hunter Biden sold the “illusion of access” to his father, former President Joe Biden, but did not provide evidence of direct involvement by the former president in business dealings. Archer also testified that over the course of ten years, Hunter Biden put his father on speakerphone about 20 times in the presence of business associates, though these calls did not involve business discussions.