Whistleblowers Accuse DOJ of Slowing Hunter Biden Probe

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Facts

  • According to testimony released Thursday by the Republican-majority US House Ways and Means Committee, two whistleblowers said the US Dept. of Justice (DOJ) “slow-walked” an investigation of Pres. Biden’s son, Hunter, in the face of an IRS attempt to charge him with additional felony tax charges.1
  • Gary Shapley, who worked at the IRS for more than a decade, and a second IRS agent, who wasn’t named, alleged the IRS recommended that Hunter Biden be charged with felonies for tax evasion and filing a false tax return for three years, and five misdemeanors for failing to pay taxes on time.2
  • The whistleblowers gave several examples of what they perceived to be slow-walking, including the stopping of a probe into a text Hunter Biden sent to a Chinese businessman and the blocking of two search warrants at a Biden residence and a storage unit.3
  • This month, the younger Biden agreed to plead guilty to two misdemeanor counts of willful failure to pay federal income tax, and to enter a pretrial diversion agreement on a separate firearm possession charge, avoiding a prison sentence.4
  • The whistleblowers also claimed that US Attorney David Weiss, who headed up the Hunter Biden probe, was rejected when he asked to be named a special counsel, but Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday denied that accusation.5
  • Tax information is usually protected by taxpayer privacy laws, but the committee has the unique power to release information like this. Democrats on the committee, who voted against disclosure, used the same authority to reveal former Pres. Trump’s taxes last year.6

Sources: 1The Hill, 2CNN, 3One America, 4FOX News, 5ABC News, and 6POLITICO.

Narratives

  • Republican narrative, as provided by Red State. No one ever expected the Biden administration to stay out of the investigation of the president’s son, and the slap on the wrist Hunter received was just the first sign of something gone awry. This testimony shows that the fix was in all along, and Biden's DOJ can’t be trusted. Republicans must hold those who’ve influenced this case accountable — even if that means impeaching Garland.
  • Democratic narrative, as provided by Huffington Post. Some of the whistleblowers’ accusations came before the DOJ charged Hunter with misdemeanors for failing to pay his taxes. In addition, these allegations are coming from just two people, including one who suspiciously wants to remain anonymous. The independent DOJ and Trump-appointed US attorney are handling this case, so there’s not much room for accusations of partisan bias.