Leaders of the House Republican impeachment inquiry into President Biden fired off letter On Tuesday, officials from the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service were asked to respond to “serious allegations of whistleblower retaliation” against two IRS employees who accused them of bungling a five-year investigation into the president’s son Hunter. I asked for it.
In a letter, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.), and Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-Missouri) , revealed that the IRS whistleblower himself may be under federal investigation.
IRS Supervisory Special Agent Gary Shapley and Special Agent Joseph Ziegler last year accused federal prosecutors of suppressing damning evidence collected during the Hunter Biden investigation, committee leaders said. Lawfully disclosed confidential information to Congress.
“Any attempt to intimidate or retaliate against Mr. Shapley and Mr. Ziegler for disclosing confidential information to Congress must be stopped,” they said, along with Attorney General Merrick Garland, Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Daniel Werfel, and special A letter was sent to prosecutor David Weiss.
Impeachment investigators wrote in a March 11 court filing in which Weiss told a federal judge of “possible ongoing investigations” by the Office of Special Counsel related to Hunter’s case. He pointed out that he had requested that the documents be sealed.
“The redacted portion of the Department’s brief is in a paragraph regarding guidance from the IRS regarding whistleblowing options that was distributed to IRS employees, including Mr. Shapley and Mr. Ziegler, in which the whistleblower referred to an ongoing investigation. “This suggests that the IRS may be the target of an investigation and that the IRS may be involved in it,” they said.
Comer, Jordan, and Smith request Weiss to provide unredacted briefs and request Garland and Werfel to provide all records that may be relevant to the whistleblower’s internal investigation. I asked for it.
Republicans say the filing is a legal warning against a “campaign of intimidation” launched by Hunter’s attorney, Abby Rowell, who accused Shapley and Zeigler of “outrageous misconduct” in previous court filings. It claims it will reveal the extent to which the ministry and the IRS were involved. ” for disclosing some of the evidence from the tax audit.
Chris Clark, a former attorney for Lowell and her eldest son, also previously wrote a letter to Justice Department officials calling for an investigation into the whistleblower’s conduct.
Last year, Shapley and Ziegler told Congress that Weiss was initially barred from pressing charges against Hunter and was also blocked from interviewing the first family members and any line of questioning that could lead to Joe Biden. He testified that he had done so.
They also reported that the Justice Department tipped off Hunter Biden’s lawyers about plans to search the president’s eldest son’s storage locker, which may contain evidence, and that Justice Department officials had tipped off Hunter Biden’s lawyers about a planned search of the president’s son’s He also claimed that he had prevented him from having a face-to-face interview with Mr.
The disturbing allegations of political interference, which first came to light in a closed session before the House Ways and Means Committee, are at the center of House Republicans’ impeachment inquiry against Mr. Biden, 81.
Hunter Biden initially had a suspended plea deal with Weiss’ office on tax and gun charges, but his defense team closed the deal last July over concerns it wouldn’t protect him from the first crime. He withdrew from what critics called a “sweetheart” deal. Son from the future prosecutor.
Prosecutors for Weiss, then the U.S. attorney for Delaware, revealed in a court hearing that month that Hunter remained the subject of an ongoing investigation and possible violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). Clark declared the plea agreement “null and void.” And nothingness. ”
After the plea agreement fell apart, Garland promoted Weiss to special prosecutor and Delaware prosecutors charged him with three counts of lying about crack cocaine on a background check for a gun purchase in 2018. Hunter Biden was indicted in September 2023.
Special prosecutors also in December charged Hunter, 54, with nine counts (including three felonies) of evading $1.4 million in taxes and filing false returns to the IRS from 2016 to 2019. Indicted.
Lowell filed eight lawsuits earlier this year seeking to dismiss the case, claiming Weiss bowed to political pressure spurred by improper leaks from an IRS whistleblower in the “selective and vindictive” prosecution of her eldest son. filed a complaint.
On Monday, Los Angeles U.S. District Judge Mark Scalsi dismissed all of those claims, and Hunter Biden is scheduled to go to trial on June 20 in the tax case. He is also scheduled to go to trial on June 3 on the firearms charge.
Weiss’ office declined to comment. Officials from the Justice Department and IRS did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
