Attorney General Merrick Garland stood by his claims the Justice Department’s probe into Hunter Biden for alleged tax violations has never been improperly politicized within the agency.
Hunter is under investigation by the DOJ for tax fraud, money laundering, and violation of lobbying laws. Prosecutor David Weiss for months has been weighing if there is sufficient evidence for the grand jury to indict him on a reported four charges: three tax crimes and one gun crime.
As the case appeared to quietly stall, an IRS agent alleged in April the improper politicization of a tax probe into the president’s son. The whistleblower alleged two Biden administration political appointees within the DOJ are working to block charges against Hunter for tax violations – against recommendations.
In addition, the IRS agent alleged Weiss asked to be named as a special counsel in the probe to provide a degree of separation between the probe and Joe Biden. That request was turned down, the whistleblower said.
According to a report, the unidentified IRS official has specifically accused Garland of misled Congress about probe.
On Tuesday, Garland denied the accusations during a press briefing. When questioned if the “investigation would be conducted without any kind of political interference,” as Garland had promised Congress on multiple occasions, the Biden attorney general said he stands by his testimony.
“It’s still the case. I stand by my testimony,” he said. “And I refer you to the U.S. attorney from the district of Delaware who is in charge of this case and capable of making any decisions he feels is appropriate.”
According to a recent poll, a majority of Democrats say Hunter Biden’s alleged “preferential treatment” in his tax case with the Justice Department is a serious scandal. Among all likely voters, 69 percent say it is a serious scandal, including 48 percent who say it is very serious.
Meanwhile, the probe into the president’s son remains under the purview of Garland’s appointed prosecutor, though former Attorney General Bill Barr and constitutional scholar Jonathan Turley believe a special counsel must be appointed to investigate the case.
Garland has vowed Wiess has the autonomy to recommend changes, but Biden’s attorney general has also admitted he has to sign off on the charges.
The tax probe into Hunter could implicate President Joe Biden. A witness who testified before the jury was reportedly asked to identify the “big guy.”
Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality.
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