WASHINGTON – Washington, D.C., U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves announced Monday that he will resign before President-elect Donald Trump retakes the White House. He is likely to avoid an involuntary resignation following his controversial decision not to file criminal charges against his eldest son Hunter Biden and most local crimes.
“It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve as the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia,” Graves said in a statement announcing his resignation on January 16.
“I'm really grateful [DC Delegate Eleanor] Holmes Norton for recommending me. To President Biden for nominating me. and to the Attorney General [Merrick] Garland trusted me. ”
Mr. Graves has been at the center of numerous controversies, including allegations that he protected his first family and his failure to prosecute the majority of people arrested in Washington, D.C., during a wave of violent crime early in his tenure.
Last year, he widely acknowledged IRS whistleblower Gary Shapley's claims that he refused to partner with Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss on tax charges against Hunter Biden, and revealed a number of his father's bad days. Approved the statute of limitations for attorney's fees for annual delinquency. Presidency.
A Biden-appointed U.S. attorney argued in Congressional testimony that such cooperation rarely happens because there is “no way to stay up-to-date on everything.”
“As a director, you generally don't want to do that. At the end of the day, if it's an ongoing investigation, whether it's three weeks or three months, or if it's a multi-year investigation, you can There's no way to know everything that happened,” Graves said. .
“So it's like buying a mansion without having it inspected, no matter what problems it has, you're buying it.”
Mr. Graves acknowledged that Mr. Weiss called him to help with the prosecution in Washington, D.C. The eldest son lived in Washington, D.C., when his father was vice president.
About three weeks after that call, Graves reviewed court documents that dealt with allegations that his younger son, Hunter Biden, failed to pay taxes on income from foreign employers, including Ukrainian gas company Burisma Holdings, during his lifetime. As a result, the agency said it declined the partnership. In DC.
“To the best of my recollection, no, I did not review the underlying case material at all,” he admitted.
“I think the best way to characterize this decision is that we instructed them to say, we're not going to be the local attorney on this case.”
Mr. Weiss was eventually promoted to special prosecutor, allowing him to pursue tax charges against Los Angeles' eldest son for unpaid taxes from 2016 to 2019. The eldest son pleaded guilty to $1.4 million in tax evasion in September after a Delaware jury found him guilty. He committed three felonies with a firearm in June.
President Biden granted carte blanche to his son on December 1st.
Graves also noted the low prosecution rate of those arrested for violations, as the D.C. U.S. Attorney's Office independently prosecutes both federal and local crimes in the nation's capital.
In fiscal year 2022, a whopping 67% of cases involving arrests were not prosecuted by Graves' office, but Graves defended that decision by citing the fact that D.C.'s crime lab lost its accreditation.
“There were just too many cases where I couldn't move forward even if I wanted to.” Graves said “As a career prosecutor, holding people accountable for their criminal behavior is very important to me.”
