The bombshell news that a federal agent–turned–whistleblower has accused the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of mishandling the yearslong investigation into President Joe Biden‘s son Hunter Biden has been met with alarm from top Republican leaders.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Attorney General Merrick Garland was asked if he stands by his testimony that the Hunter Biden probe has remained free of any improper political interference.
“Yes, it‘s still the case I stand by my testimony, and I refer you to the U.S. attorney for the District of Delaware who is in charge of this case and capable of making any decisions that he feels are appropriate,” Garland said.
The IRS investigation into Hunter Biden‘s finances has been ongoing since 2018, and various news outlets have reported for months that prosecutors were nearing a conclusion, but no charges have yet been filed.
In April, a letter to lawmakers from the IRS whistleblower‘s lawyer, whose identity still remains unknown, was obtained by ABC News. The letter revealed that the whistleblower is a criminal supervisory special agent “who has been overseeing the ongoing and sensitive investigation of a high–profile, controversial subject since early 2020 and would like to make protected whistleblower disclosures to Congress.”
Although the letter did not name Hunter Biden specifically, it referred to preferential treatment that he allegedly received, though no specific examples were provided to support the accusations.
House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer responded to the letter with alarm, saying, “It‘s deeply concerning that the Biden Administration may be obstructing justice by blocking efforts to charge Hunter Biden for tax violations.”
Chris Clark, an attorney for Hunter Biden, said in a statement that the whistleblower had “committed a crime“ by disclosing information about his client, noting that it is a felony for an IRS agent to improperly disclose information about an ongoing tax investigation.
The White House has repeatedly insisted that the administration has not gotten involved in the matter, with press secretary Karine Jean–Pierre saying, “We‘re just not going to comment from here.”
The Biden family has remained largely silent on the issue, with Hunter Biden only saying in an interview with CBS in 2021 that he was “fully confident that at the end of the day it‘s all gonna be fine.”
Given the seriousness of the allegations, it will be interesting to see how the Biden Administration and the Justice Department handle the situation moving forward. It is clear that Republican leaders will be watching closely to see if justice is served.
