Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) stated Thursday that whistleblowers have suggested personnel at FBI’s Washington Field Office “improperly” closed alleged criminal conduct info related to Hunter Biden, who is a lawyer and former lobbyist turned artist.
Grassley, who spoke before the “Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government,” relayed shady information from Senate whistleblowers about the FBI’s apparent investigation into the Biden family.
Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, boards Air Force One with the president, Saturday, February 4, 2023, at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse, N.Y. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Among several allegations, Grassley said whistleblowers have told his office that FBI personnel at the Washington Field Office “improperly ordered information to be closed by the FBI related to Hunter Biden’s potential criminal conduct in October 2020 — just before the election — even though it was verified or verifiable.”
The revelation of the FBI’s handling of alleged criminal conduct related to Hunter comes as Grassley believes former FBI “point man” Timothy Thibault “shut down” a probe into Hunter’s laptop that is likely unrelated to the ongoing criminal probe concerning reported tax fraud by the president’s son.
Hunter’s former businesses partner, Tony Bobulinski, who personally met with Joe and Hunter Biden in 2017 for an hour to discuss “the Bidens’ family business plans” for a Chinese energy deal, handed over intelligence about the Chinese deal to Thibault, who in turn reportedly buried the information. The deal included ten percent “held by H for the big guy,” who Bobulinski said was Joe Biden.
Tony Bobulinski departs after speaking to reporters at a hotel in Nashville, Tennessee, on October 22, 2020. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Hunter is currently under investigation for tax and gun violations. It is unknown if Justice Department prosecutors will have the opportunity to charge Hunter with any alleged crimes with “voluminous evidence” found on the laptop.
In January, House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-OH) asked Thibault to “immediately cooperate” with his investigation into the Biden family by appearing for a transcribed interview into allegations of misconduct against Thibault, Breitbart News reported.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) is seen on a screen during the first hearing of the House Judiciary Select Committee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government in the Rayburn House Office Building on Thursday, February 9, 2023, in Washington, DC. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Thibault has not been cooperative in the past. In October, he failed to comply with Jordan’s request for an interview.
“Concerning the request for an interview, because the subject matter pertains to sensitive law enforcement information and/or pending investigations, our client is not in a position to accept this invitation at this juncture,” Thibault’s attorney responded to the committee.
It is unknown what the next steps are for Jordan’s investigation or the “Weaponization” committee. With the Republicans in the House majority, Jordan could try to compel the relevant interview with subpoena power.
Thibault’s failure to work with House Republicans is only one example of stonewalling in the Biden family scandal. In January, the Treasury Department denied Oversight Committee Chair James Comer’s (R-KY) request for 150 bank records flagged by U.S. banks, causing the committee’s chairman to threaten a subpoena.
In a third example, Comer asked Hunter’s expensive attorneys for relevant documents and communications concerning his probe. Hunter has also denied access, citing “no oversight bases.”
The White House has also refused to comment on Hunter’s business dealings.
Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality.