House Republicans want Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service officials to answer questions about whistleblower allegations that there was improper meddling in the Hunter Biden investigation.
The chairs of the House Ways and Means and Oversight committees are seeking interviews with more than a dozen officials involved in the investigation of the president’s son, including Delaware US 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-related charges after an extensive five-year investigation. Biden is expected to plead guilty next month to two federal misdemeanor charges for failing to pay his taxes.
Oversight Chairman Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., Judiciary Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Ways and Means Chairman Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo. sent letters on Thursday to the DOJ and IRS leadership demanding that they make officials available to respond to claims by two IRS whistleblowers that the investigation “was willfully slow and was subject to inappropriate and politically motivated interference.”
“The federal government is supposed to work for the American people, but whistleblower evidence shows that several federal employees were working overtime to cover up for the Bidens. We need to hear from these federal employees and other witnesses about this weaponization of federal law enforcement power,” the three said in a joint statement.
They warned that the committees “will resort to the mandatory process” – subpoenas – if the agencies do not make officials available for interviews to obtain the required testimony in the coming weeks.
Among the whistleblowers’ claims is that Weiss sought the authority to indict Hunter Biden on broader charges in Washington and California, but US attorneys in those districts were told they would not do so.
The Justice Department, which previously denied the allegations, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“As both the Attorney General and US Attorney David Weiss have said, US Attorney Weiss has full authority on this matter, including the responsibility to decide where, when and whether to bring charges as he sees fit. He doesn’t need any further approval to do it,” Wyn Hornbuckle, deputy director of the Justice Department’s Office of Public Affairs, said last week.
When Attorney General Merrick Garland was asked last week if he would object to Weiss testifying before the House, he replied: “I would support Mr. Weiss in explaining or testifying on these matters 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, seeking information on whether the agents may have informed 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 agreement told NBC News that it includes a provision in which the US attorney agreed to recommend a sentence of probation.
Republicans have criticized the deal as a “love deal.”
