WASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican chairmen of three key House committees are joining forces to investigate the Justice Department’s handling of charges against Hunter Biden after he made sweeping allegations of misconduct at the agency.
The heads of the House Judiciary, Oversight and Accountability and Ways and Means committees launched a joint investigation into the federal case of President Joe Biden’s youngest son days after the announcement last month that he would plead guilty to the tax offenses as part of a deal with the Department of Justice.
Representatives Jim Jordan of Ohio, James Comer of Kentucky and Jason Smith of Missouri have since issued a series of requests for voluntary testimony from senior Justice Department, FBI and Internal Revenue Service officials as they are investigating what they claim was improper interference. Republicans have also called for a special counsel review of alleged retaliation against whistleblowers who made the allegations.
The congressional inquiry was launched after the House Ways and Means Committee, led by Smith, voted last month to publicly release hundreds of pages of testimony from IRS employees who worked on the Hunter case. Biden.
Transcripts from Greg Shapley and an unidentified agent detail what they called a pattern of “slow investigative steps” and delaying enforcement action in the months leading up to the 2020 election won by Joe Biden.
The Justice Department has denied the whistleblower’s claims and has repeatedly said that U.S. Attorney David Weiss of Delaware, the federal prosecutor who led the investigation, has “full authority” over the case.
Here’s what to know about the emerging survey.
INVESTIGATION OF IRS WHISTLEBLOWER CLAIMS
In April, IRS first whistleblower Shapley came forward when his attorney contacted GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa to say his client had information about a “failure to mitigate conflict.” interests in the final disposition” of what was then an ongoing criminal investigation related to Hunter Biden.
Smith, chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over the IRS, brought in Shapley in late May for an hour-long interview, where he described several obstacles that he and several other IRS agents have on the case encountered while trying to interview relevant people. investigation or issue search warrants.
The whistleblowers insist their testimony reflects a pattern of inference and preferential treatment in the Hunter Biden case and not just disagreement with their superiors over what investigative steps should be taken. Justice Department policy has long warned prosecutors to be sure to indict cases with potential political overtones at the time of an election, to avoid possible influence on the outcome.
The most disputed whistleblower claim is that Weiss — first nominated by former President Donald Trump and maintained by the Biden administration — applied to the Justice Department in March 2022 to be granted attorney status. petition to bring the tax cases against Hunter Biden to jurisdictions outside of Delaware, including Washington, DC and California, but was denied.
A second IRS whistleblower, who asked the committee to keep his identity secret, described his ongoing frustrations with how the Hunter Biden case was handled, dating back to the Trump administration under Attorney General William Barr . He said he began investigating Hunter Biden in 2015 and delved into his personal life and finances.
INVESTIGATION OF REPRISAL CLAIMS
Both men testified that they were retaliated against at the IRS after raising concerns about the handling of the Hunter Biden case. Shapley, who was a career supervisory officer, told the committee that Weiss helped block his promotion after the tax agency employee contacted congressional investigators about the Biden case.
The second unidentified whistleblower said he was removed from the Hunter Biden investigation around the same time as Shapley, who was his supervisor. Although he was told of the decision by IRS officials, the second whistleblower believes his removal was actually ordered by Justice Department officials. None of the men provided lawmakers with evidence that this was the case, instead citing what they had witnessed internally as they pushed through various stages of investigation.
The three Republican presidents, as well as the senses. Grassley and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin sent a letter to the Justice Department requesting an immediate review of the retaliation allegations.
“The importance of protecting whistleblowers from unlawful retaliation and informing whistleblowers of their rights under the law cannot be understated. After all, it is the law,” the lawmakers wrote.
RETURN TO THE SERVICE OF JUSTICE
The Justice Department denied the whistleblowers’ claims, saying Weiss had “full authority over this matter, including responsibility for deciding where, when and whether to file charges as he deems appropriate. He doesn’t need any other approval to do so.
Attorney General Merrick Garland also dismissed the idea that Weiss, a seasoned prosecutor, had asked to be appointed as special counsel.
“The only person who has the power to make someone a special advocate, or refuse to make them a special advocate, is the attorney general,” Garland told reporters last month. He added: “Mr. Weiss never made this request.
In a June 30 letter, Weiss also denied the claims, telling House Republicans that the Justice Department “did not retaliate” against Shapley. He also said the department assured him that if he sought to bring charges against Hunter Biden in a location other than Delaware, he would be granted special status to do so. Generally, US attorneys are limited to their own jurisdictions when bringing criminal charges.
NEXT STEPS
The three Republican presidents gave the department a Thursday deadline to begin scheduling nearly a dozen people for transcribed interviews. They said that if the deadline was not met, they would resort to issuing subpoenas from Congress to force cooperation.
Weiss said in his recent letter that he would be willing to discuss these topics with congressional officials, but reiterated that he cannot release information about the Hunter Biden case as it is a active criminal investigation.
Garland has publicly stated that he will not prevent Weiss from testifying before Congress. “I would support Mr. Weiss explaining or testifying on these matters when he deems it appropriate,” the attorney general said.