House Republicans want Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service officials to answer questions about whistleblower claims that there was improper interference in Hunter Biden’s investigation.
The chairs of the House Oversight, Judiciary and Ways and Means committees are seeking interviews with more than a dozen officials involved in the investigation into the president’s son, including Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss.
Weiss, a holdover from the Trump administration, announced earlier this month that he had reached a plea deal with Hunter Biden on tax charges after a sprawling five-year investigation. Biden is expected to plead guilty next month to two federal counts of failing to pay his taxes.
Oversight Chairman Representative James Comer, R-Ky., Judiciary Chairman Representative Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Ways and Means Chairman Representative Jason Smith, R-Mo., sent letters on Thursday to DOJ and IRS leaders demanding that they make officials available to respond to claims by two IRS whistleblowers that the investigation “was deliberately slow and subject to inappropriate and politically motivated interference.”
“The federal government is supposed to work for the American people, but whistleblowers show several federal employees working overtime to cover for the Bidens. We need to hear from these federal employees and other witnesses about this militarization of federal law enforcement power,” the three said in a joint statement.
They warned that the committees “would resort to compulsory procedure” – subpoenas – if the agencies did not make the officials available for interviews to obtain the required testimony in the coming weeks.
Among the whistleblowers’ claims, Weiss sought permission to hit Hunter Biden with broader charges in Washington and California, but was told that US attorneys in those districts would not.
The Justice Department, which has previously denied the allegations, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“As Attorney General and U.S. Attorney David Weiss have said, U.S. Attorney Weiss has full authority over this case, including the responsibility to decide where, when, and whether to file charges as he deems appropriate. He doesn’t need any other approval to do so,” Wyn Hornbuckle, deputy director of the Justice Department’s Office of Public Affairs, said last week.
Attorney General Merrick Garland, who asked him last week if he would object to Weiss testifying before the House, replied: “I would support Mr. Weiss explaining or testifying on these issues when he deems it appropriate. .”
The IRS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The presidents also sent a letter to the head of the Secret Service, requesting information on whether agents tipped off Biden family members about the investigation.
The Secret Service did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Hunter Biden’s plea hearing is scheduled for July 26. Two sources familiar with the plea deal told NBC News that it includes a provision in which the U.S. attorney agreed to recommend a probation sentence.
Republicans blasted the deal as a “love deal.”
This article originally appeared on NBCNews.com