Devon Archer, a board member of the Ukrainian energy company Burisma and business associate of Hunter Biden, had a meeting with then-Secretary of State John Kerry. This rendezvous took place mere weeks before Viktor Shokin, the Ukrainian Prosecutor General investigating Burisma, was dismissed in 2016.
A previously disclosed email from the State Department dated March 2, 2016, confirms Archer’s appointment with Kerry. The content of their discussion remains undisclosed, leaving many to speculate if Burisma was a topic of conversation.
During this period, both Archer and Hunter Biden had been associated with Burisma for approximately two years. Notably, then-Vice President Joe Biden had recently visited Ukraine, where he reportedly threatened to withhold a billion dollars in U.S. aid unless Shokin was removed, citing Shokin’s perceived leniency on corruption cases.
Senators Grassley and Johnson raised concerns about this meeting in 2019, seeking further details and records from the State Department. They also inquired about another meeting involving Hunter Biden and Antony Blinken in 2015.
In a recent interview, Shokin asserted that his removal was due to his ongoing investigation into Burisma. He claimed that both Hunter Biden and Devon Archer were under scrutiny. However, the White House has refuted these claims, emphasizing that Shokin’s office was not actively investigating Burisma or Hunter Biden at the time of his termination.
Further details reveal that Burisma’s leadership sought Hunter Biden’s assistance when faced with investigations from Shokin’s office. In fact, Hunter Biden and Burisma executives reportedly reached out to the Obama administration in December 2015, urging them to push for Shokin’s dismissal.
Email exchanges between Burisma executive Vadym Pozharsky, Hunter Biden, and Archer in November 2015 indicate that Burisma sought the services of lobbying firm Blue Star Strategies to counter corruption allegations against the company’s owner, Mykola Zlochevsky.
These revelations are part of a broader narrative that has seen multiple interactions between Burisma board members and top U.S. officials. For instance, in 2015, Hunter Biden and then-Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken exchanged emails to arrange a meeting, which eventually took place in July 2015.
Devon Archer, who has previously faced legal challenges in an unrelated bond fraud scheme, has had longstanding ties with the Biden family and other prominent figures. He served as an adviser to John Kerry during his 2004 presidential campaign and co-founded Rosemont Seneca Partners with Hunter Biden and Christopher Heinz, Kerry’s stepson, in 2009.
These intricate connections between U.S. officials and Burisma board members continue to raise questions and fuel debates about the nature of their relationships and the potential implications for U.S. foreign policy.
