The House Oversight, Judiciary and Ways and Means Committees are requesting transparency from the Department of Justice (DOJ) in its Inspector General (IG) investigation of IRS whistleblower allegations pertaining to the ongoing Hunter Biden investigation.
House lawmakers wrote a letter to IG Michael Horowitz on Tuesday. In the letter, the lawmakers described their concerns with how the DOJ could be limiting the scope of the IG investigation into allegations from IRS whistleblowers, Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler, about how DOJ prosecutors slow-walked and obstructed the Hunter Biden investigation.
READ THE FULL LETTER:
“As you are aware, IRS whistleblowers made protected disclosures to Congress regarding DOJ’s investigation of Hunter Biden,” the letter from House Oversight, Judiciary and Ways and Means reads. “Specifically, the IRS whistleblowers testified that DOJ’s investigation was purposely slow-walked and subjected to improper and politically motivated interference. Further, the DOJ and IRS have reportedly engaged in unlawful whistleblower retaliation against the IRS employees. Their testimony raised serious questions about the federal government’s commitment to evenhanded justice.” (RELATED: House Republicans Subpoena Witnesses To Key Moment From IRS Whistleblower Testimony About Hunter Biden Case)
“Based on your statements and the DOJ’s pattern of politically motivated actions, we are concerned that the DOJ is limiting your office from fully investigating the disclosures provided to your office,” the letter adds.
The IG’s office wrote a letter July 19 to House Oversight, Judiciary and Ways and Means outlining its review of the allegations made by Shapley and Ziegler. (RELATED: House Oversight Demands Archived Records Of Joe Biden’s Communications About Ukraine And Burisma)
READ THE FULL LETTER:
“Since receiving information from SSA Shapley, my office has taken a number of steps to assess the information he provided, ” the IG letter reads.
“In undertaking this assessment, however, we are mindful of the potential limitation on the OIG’s jurisdiction as a result of Section 8E(b)(3) of the Inspector General Act, 5 U.S.C. § 413(b)(3), which requires my office to refer to DOJ’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) ‘allegations of misconduct involving Department attorneys, investigators, or law enforcement personnel, where the allegations relate to the exercise of the authority of an attorney to investigate, litigate, or provide legal advice,'” the letter continues.
“Also consistent with the OIG’s usual practice, because our assessment is ongoing, and because the allegations relate to an ongoing criminal case, I am unable to provide additional information to your Committees at this time.”
Shapley and Ziegler have said they were subject to retaliation from the IRS for coming forward about the Hunter Biden case, despite IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel’s congressional testimony saying otherwise.
The president’s son was expected to plead guilty in Delaware to two tax misdemeanors and a felony gun charge, until his plea deal collapsed in July upon scrutiny from Delaware U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika. Judge Noreika questioned an immunity provision tucked into the proposed diversion agreement for Biden’s gun charge.
Noreika caused a dispute between DOJ special attorney Leo Wise and Biden’s defense counsel as to whether the younger Biden could be charged under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) for his international business dealings if the immunity provision was finalized. As a result, Biden pleaded not guilty to the tax charges and his diversion agreement was not put into place.
Attorney General Merrick Garland on Aug. 11 appointed Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss special counsel to continue the Hunter Biden investigation. The IRS whistleblower allegations of special treatment for Biden under Weiss’ leadership caused Republicans to come out against Weiss’ appointment. (RELATED: Top Prosecutor On Hunter Biden Case Previously Worked With Beau Biden)
My story on Weiss & Beau: Top Hunter Biden Prosecutor David Weiss Previously Worked With Beau Biden @DailyCaller https://t.co/msurLXtq7D
— James Lynch (@jameslynch32) August 21, 2023
Weiss moved to withdraw Hunter Biden’s Delaware tax charges to potentially charge the president’s son in Washington, D.C., or the Central District of California. Noreika granted Weiss’ request Thursday, and the Delaware tax charges against Biden were dismissed without prejudice. Joe Biden-appointed U.S. attorneys denied Weiss from charging Hunter Biden in D.C. and California, Shapley testified to the House Ways and Means Committee in May. The New York Times later independently confirmed Weiss was blocked from charging the president’s son in California.
Weiss wrote in a June letter to Republican Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan that his, Weiss’, charging authority was limited to his district as Delaware U.S. Attorney. Weiss then contradicted this account in a July letter to Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, in which Weiss said he had full charging authority and did not request special counsel status.
Shapley’s attorneys in July released an October 2022 email sent by Shapley saying Weiss requested special counsel authority and got denied after the D.C. U.S. attorney refused to charge Hunter Biden. Garland has denied Shapley’s accusations of political interference.
The Biden family and its associates received more than $20 million in payments from Ukrainian, Russian, Chinese, Romanian and Kazakh business partners, according to bank records released by the House Oversight Committee.
The DOJ did not respond to the Daily Caller’s request for comment by the time of publication.