James Comer, the Republican chairman of the oversight committee, has said Mr Archer played a “significant role in the Biden family’s business deals abroad, including but not limited to China, Russia, and Ukraine”.

Mr Comer added: “We know that Devon Archer has met and communicated many, many times with Joe Biden about Burisma and other things.”

Mr Archer and Hunter Biden became friends at Yale, and later co-founded the investment firm Rosemont Seneca Partners.

They were both photographed playing golf with Joe Biden in 2014, when he was vice-president.

Mr Archer was later convicted in an unrelated case over his role in a conspiracy to defraud a Native American tribe. He has been sentenced to one year in jail, but is yet to start the sentence.

Following Mr Archer’s original conviction in that case in 2018, Hunter Biden reportedly texted him, apparently referring to the Department of Justice as “motherf—–s” and adding that he and Mr Archer would “have the last laugh”.

A decade ago, Hunter Biden emailed Mr Archer to thank him for being “a great friend through thick and thin”.

‘Impeachment inquiry’

Mr Archer’s appearance before the committee came as Republicans explored the possibility of an impeachment inquiry against Joe Biden.

Kevin McCarthy, the Republican House Speaker, said last week that “this is rising to the level of impeachment inquiry”.

Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the oversight committee, accused Republicans of creating a “false and distorted narrative” about the Biden family.

Chris Swecker, former assistant director of the FBI, said: “They were selling access. They do the big setup, and then they put Joe Biden on the phone.

“It just shows they have access. Here he is, he’s on the phone. I just told you we can do things for you … and there he is.”

Mr Swecker said when one also considered the firing of the Burisma prosecutor: “Boy, you’re really close to a slam dunk in my opinion”.

Dan Goldman, a Democrat on the oversight committee, said that during his speakerphone appearances, Joe Biden “didn’t even know who the people” with his son were, and that he “was just asked to say hello”.

Mr Goldman said the hearing was told that the then-vice president talked about the weather.

He said Mr Archer testified that “none of those conversations had to do with business and were purely casual”.