FBI and IRS officials subpoenaed to testify over political interference in Hunter Biden tax crimes investigation: Republicans step up investigation after accusing Biden’s Justice Department of “blockade”.
FBI and IRS agents involved in a meeting with now-Special Counsel Jack Smith, at which he allegedly claimed he was prevented from filing charges against Hunter Biden for tax crimes, have now been issued with subpoenas.
The Republican-led House Judiciary and Pathways and Appropriations Committees have subpoenaed Michael Batdorf, IRS director of field operations, Darrell Waldon, acting IRS special agent, Thomas Sobocinski, acting FBI special agent, and Ryeshia Holley, deputy FBI special agent to testify.
Chairmen Jim Jordan and Jason Smith said they are confident the people were aware of an Oct. 7, 2022 meeting at which Weiss, a US attorney in Delaware, allegedly said, “He’s not the key person whether charges will be filed.”
This remark was retold by IRS whistleblower Gary Shapley. Shapley said he raised concerns at that meeting and two weeks later the IRS was completely disbarred from the case.
Chairmen Jim Jordan and Jason Smith said they believe the people are aware of an Oct. 7, 2022 meeting at which Weiss, a US attorney in Delaware, allegedly said, “He’s not the deciding person on whether charges will be brought.”
Attorney General Merrick Garland has strenuously denied that the Hunter Biden investigation was subject to outside influence and has insisted that Weiss, a Trump-appointed nominee, has supreme prosecution authority.
Weiss has since been appointed special counsel in the Hunter Biden investigation, giving him the power to bring charges in any judicial district without the permission of the US Attorney in that district.
Shapley claimed that Weiss said at the Oct. 7, 2022 meeting that he was blocked from filing charges in those locations by Democratic officials in Washington, DC and California.
But in a July letter, Weiss said he had “never been denied authority to bring charges in any jurisdiction.”
Weiss did not deny that the DC and California bureaus did not favor the filing of charges in their jurisdictions, but said he could have filed them if he believed those charges were warranted.
Weiss was nominated by Trump for the Delaware district attorney’s office in 2018 and was retained by the Biden administration to avoid a conflict of interest.
That bureau’s investigation into Hunter Biden began in 2018 and culminated in two counts of tax fraud and one count of gun possession — and a now-defunct plea deal that fell through when Hunter was informed he still had future charges of could be charged with other crimes.