House Republican leaders sent letters to the Justice Department and IRS demanding answers about whistleblower retaliation against two IRS agents who accused the agencies of mishandling an investigation into Hunter Biden. The agents had made protected disclosures to Congress about federal prosecutors covering up evidence in the probe. The letters highlighted that the whistleblowers may be under federal investigation themselves, and called for the intimidation or retaliation against them to stop.
The filing revealed that a potential ongoing investigation connected to Hunter’s case may involve the whistleblowers, which raised concerns about the involvement of the IRS in it. The Republicans demanded an unredacted version of the brief from the special counsel and asked for all records relating to an internal investigation of the whistleblowers to be handed over. They emphasized that these filings could provide insight into the extent of an alleged intimidation campaign by Hunter’s defense attorney against the whistleblowers.
Previously, the agents had testified that they were blocked from pursuing lines of questioning that could implicate Joe Biden and that the Justice Department had interfered in the case, leading to political concerns. The allegations of political interference were central to the House Republicans’ impeachment inquiry into President Biden. Hunter Biden had initially entered into a plea agreement for alleged tax and gun crimes, but the deal was terminated over concerns about future prosecutions and Hunter was subsequently indicted on multiple counts.
After the collapse of the plea deal, Garland elevated the Delaware prosecutor to special counsel, who then indicted Hunter on various charges including lying about drug use on a gun background check form and tax evasion. A motion to dismiss the case was filed by Hunter’s legal team, claiming selective and vindictive prosecution based on political pressure. However, the motions were rejected by a district judge, and Hunter Biden is scheduled to go to trial on both the tax and gun charges in June.
The whistleblowers accused of retaliation had raised concerns about the handling of the Hunter Biden investigation, including allegations of evidence suppression by federal prosecutors. The Republicans’ letters called for transparency from the Justice Department and IRS regarding the alleged targeting of the whistleblowers and possible involvement in an intimidation campaign against them. The case has raised questions about political interference and selective prosecution in the investigation of Hunter Biden, leading to his indictment on multiple charges. The upcoming trials will shed further light on the outcome of the case involving the president’s son.
