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The House Oversight Committee is expected to hear publicly from two IRS whistleblowers on Wednesday Whose closed door is testimony Allegations of mishandling of the Hunter Biden criminal investigation have sparked a firestorm among House Republicans and led to calls for the impeachment of Attorney General Merrick Garland.
House Republicans have seized on the allegations — a 14-year IRS veteran who oversaw parts of the Hunter Biden criminal investigation, Gary Shapley, and one of his deputies whose prior testimony was anonymous — to support their claims that the Justice Department is overreaching. Politicized to protect Democrats and target conservatives.
There is also testimony from IRS whistleblowers It sparked a new drive House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has faced mounting pressure from an increasingly pacifist right wing eager to target President Joe Biden and his cabinet for possible impeachment proceedings against Garland. McCarthy stoked the momentum by saying he was open to an impeachment inquiry if the whistleblowers’ claims were upheld.
She told the House Ways and Means Committee in June that Shapley and his deputy had slowed the criminal investigation into Hunter Biden’s tax problems, blocked their efforts to obtain subpoenas and search warrants, and repeatedly blocked prosecutors from filing criminal charges.
Shapley is expected to testify, “I’m here to tell you that the handling of the Hunter Biden tax investigation by the Delaware USAO and the Department of Justice (DOJ) was very different from any other case in my 14 years at the IRS.” The testimony was given to CNN. “In this country, we believe in the rule of law, and it applies to everyone. There shouldn’t be a two-track justice system based on who you are and who you associate with. And yet in this case, there was.”
“I believe I have an obligation to bring the public — and their elected representatives — to account and provide full transparency of the facts surrounding the criminal investigation of Robert Hunter Biden,” noted a 13-year special agent. Whistleblower X is expected to testify with the IRS, according to prepared testimony provided to CNN.
They also requested the US attorney David WeissThe person appointed by former President Donald Trump to oversee the Hunter Biden investigation said at an October 2022 meeting that he could not bring final charges against the president’s son and was denied special counsel status when he asked for it.
Republicans echo these views Garland wasn’t real When he told Congress that Weiss had full authority over the investigation. But Garland and Weiss reject most, if not all, of the GOP lawmakers’ assertions. And internal disagreements among investigators are common, as described by IRS agents, Democrats said in memos ahead of the investigation, according to a copy of the memo obtained by CNN.
Citing specific examples from the late 2020s, Democrats also note that there have been several investigative findings during the Trump administration where the two whistleblowers disagreed.
In his opening statement, Rep. of Maryland. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the oversight committee, is expected to directly address GOP claims of political interference, according to a portion of his prepared remarks obtained by CNN.
“Make no mistake, there is now political interference in this case with Donald Trump and our GOP colleagues continuing an all-out assault on the rule of law and our independent justice system,” Raskin is expected to say.
The White House repeatedly pointed out that Weiss was appointed by Trump ahead of Wednesday’s hearing and urged Republicans to “focus on the issues that matter most to the American people.”
“There are real issues that Americans want to spend our time on, and President Biden believes that if House Republicans continue to work together to make real progress, rather than Republicans continuing their efforts to damage him politically,” the White House said in response to inquiries from the Republican-led Congress. spokesman Ian Sams said. “President Biden has reaffirmed his commitment that the Justice Department will handle this matter independently, under the leadership of a Trump-appointed U.S. attorney.”
Weiss tells House Republicans about claims of political interference in Hunter Biden criminal probe In a recent letter Garland gave him “final authority in the matter, including the responsibility to decide where, when, and if charges should be filed.”
Weiss denied claims about his title overseeing the investigation, saying in a separate letter to Congress that he never sought special counsel status, but instead explored becoming a “special prosecutor” under a different statute.
House Republican caucus chairmen Weiss and Hunter Biden have requested interviews from several people involved in the criminal investigation. The Justice Department told House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan, Republican of Ohio, last week that it would make Weiss available “at an appropriate time” when the criminal investigation into Hunter Biden officially ends, and offered to negotiate how to move forward.
Asked whether Wednesday’s hearing with IRS whistleblowers was a step toward impeaching Garland, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer told CNN, “There’s a lot of interest in getting the facts out, and we’re moving as quickly as we can.” However, he said he was “responsible for uncovering the facts” and that questions about the impeachment would come later.
“We have two brave and credible IRS whistleblowers who have risked their lives to come forward and provide important testimony,” Comer, a Kentucky Republican, said in excerpts of Comer’s prepared remarks provided to CNN at Wednesday’s hearing. “Their testimony about the DOJ, FBI and IRS investigation into Hunter Biden corroborates the panel’s findings. There is nothing out of the ordinary about the business activities of the Biden family.
Garland, a top target of the House GOP, is scheduled to testify before the House Judiciary Committee for a routine oversight hearing in September.
Hunter Biden A guilty plea is scheduled A court hearing in Delaware next week for two tax offenses.
This story has been updated to reflect additional developments.
