March 25 (UPI) — President Donald Trump on Tuesday pardoned Devon Archer, a former business associate of Hunter Biden who testified during the Republicans’ investigation into the Biden family in a failed attempt to impeach former President Joe Biden.
Archer was convicted of a scheme to defraud a Native American community and was sentenced to a year and a day in prison in 2022.
He then became a key witness in the 2023 congressional hearings as Republicans focused on the business dealings of Hunter Biden in an effort to try and find cause to impeach his father.
Trump signed the pardon during a meeting with U.S. ambassadors, stating that many have asked him to offer Archer clemency, whom he said “was treated very unfairly.”
“I looked at the records, studied the records, he was a victim of a crime, as far as I’m concerned,” he said. “So, we’re going to do that.”
“Congratulations, Devon.”
Archer was originally convicted in 2018 of convincing the Wakpamni Lake Community Corporation through misrepresentations to issue the sale of more than $60 million in Tribal Bonds, which clients were unable to redeem or sell because they were illiquid and lacked a ready secondary market.
Later that year, a judge overturned his conviction and ordered a new trial.
In 2022, Archer was sentenced to prison and was ordered to forfeit $15.7 million and make restitution in the amount of $43,427.
He had worked with Hunter Biden at a Ukrainian energy company during the mid-2010s when Joe Biden was vice president.
During his congressional testimony in the summer of 2023, Archer described Hunter Biden as having used his family brand to advance his career but did not implicate Joe Biden in any of his business dealings.
“Are you aware of any wrongdoing by Vice President Biden?” Matthew Schwartz, Archer’s lawyer, had asked him during a July 31, 2023, congressional hearing, according to transcripts.
“No, I’m not aware of any,” Archer replied.