Hunter Biden investigation: GOP investigates 'brazen' intimidation of IRS whistleblowers
Category: News & Politics
Via: vic-eldred • last year • 44 commentsBy: Washington Examiner
Three House chairmen asked the Department of Justice Tuesday for any communications from Hunter Biden's attorneys about punishing a pair of Internal Revenue Service criminal investigators for speaking to Congress.
The chairmen, Reps. Jim Jordan (R-OH), James Comer (R-KY), and Jason Smith (R-MO), asked Attorney General Merrick Garland in a letter obtained by the Washington Examiner to provide any communication to them that the department had received from Biden's lawyers "advocating for the investigation or prosecution" of the IRS agents, Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler.
"Hunter Biden's legal team is engaged in a brazen effort to intimidate and harass the brave Internal Revenue Service (IRS) whistleblowers who exposed numerous apparent irregularities in the Department's investigation of Hunter Biden," the chairmen wrote to Garland.
They referenced a report by the New York Times in which the outlet said it had reviewed "more than 200 pages of confidential correspondence" between special counsel David Weiss and Biden's lawyers.
Based on that correspondence, the outlet found that Biden's lawyers had "contended to the Justice Department that by disclosing details about the investigation to Congress, [the IRS whistleblowers] broke the law and should be prosecuted."
The chairmen also pointed to a letter Abbe Lowell, a longtime attorney for high-profile Democrats, wrote to Smith in June in which he accused Shapley and Ziegler of violating federal law after the two IRS employees approached Congress with their concerns about DOJ's handling of its investigation into Biden.
Lowell "slandered the brave IRS whistleblowers as 'disgruntled agents' with an 'axe to grind,'" the chairmen said, accusing Lowell of attempting to intimidate the agents and emphasizing that any legal action against them would be considered unlawful whistleblower retaliation.
Lowell, for his part, has said that the IRS agents broke a long-standing agency policy of speaking about an ongoing criminal matter. He did not respond to a request for comment from the Washington Examiner.
A DOJ spokesperson said the department received the chairmen's letter but declined to comment further.
Shapley, a 14-year veteran of the IRS, has said he followed proper whistleblower protocol by first reporting internally and then later to Congress what he observed as DOJ's "deviations from the normal investigative process" when it came to Biden. Shapley had for years been part of a joint IRS and DOJ endeavor to investigate alleged tax crimes by Biden and was abruptly taken off the case this spring after reporting perceived missteps in the investigation to Congress, Shapley's lawyers say.
Ziegler also reported alleged wrongdoings with the IRS and DOJ's investigation to Congress. He told Congress he was the lead IRS agent assigned to investigate Biden, that he had worked at the IRS for 13 years, and that he was a Democrat, indicating he had no political incentive to come forward about his concerns.
The chairmen said they are now looking to "determine the extent to which Mr. Biden's attorneys are attempting to obstruct the Committees' oversight" and are asking DOJ to provide any communications the attorneys have sent to the department about prosecuting the IRS agents by Sept. 26.
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I guess that is part of earning a law degree in the US. They leave morality & decency at the front door.
Why don't you just admit that you have nothing on President Biden?
Maybe 'admit' isn't the right word, I'm having trouble finding the correct word, 'realize'? or maybe it's not a word but a phrase 'come to grips with' the fact that you really have no evidence of wrongdoing by President Biden?
No need to search for words. I'm sure the Committee will do all it can.
I'm not able to say the factual words 'here'
to find nothing, as usual
That's a shame.
Yes, the former 'president' certainly is shameful, to say the least
All the evidence is tightly held. Where is Hunter's laptop these days?
I dont understand why you think congresspeople dont already know the contents of the laptop.
Again;
Where is the laptop?
Just like all the other committees, which have come up with ZERO.
Who cares? The info from the laptop was illegally obtained, and with no chain of custody could have very easily been tampered with.
They only got started months ago and as I said I'm sure Garland has destroyed a lot of the evidence. We do need to search:
Search and ye shall find.
I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings but:
Originally dismissed as a “Russian disinformation” campaign by a disgraced group of 51 former intelligence analysts, the laptop dropped off by President Biden’s son at a Delaware computer shop was not only authentic but also filled with damning information about the Biden crime family.
When Hunter Biden failed to pick up the laptop, it became the property of the computer store owner who then took a look at its contents. He was appalled to the point of contacting the FBI due to the mountain of evidence the laptop contained of what appeared to be criminal wrongdoing.
Well, now Hunter Biden’s attorneys have issued a letter, directed at the repair shop owner, that not only asserts the laptop is 100% genuine and was the property of their client, but now calls for investigations into what they claim was illegal access to the information contained on the laptop.
Hunter Biden Admits His Laptop Was Real, Not Russian Disinformation - Election Central (uspresidentialelectionnews.com)
I dont know and dont particularly care. The Republicans on these committees already know what is on the lap top. They also know it isnt sufficient for what they want otherwise they would be out there talking about what is on the laptop every day.
Who broke what law?
No faith in the FBI's ability to conduct computer forensics?
All WHAT evidence?
An incredible lack of interest. I thought you were concerned about traitors selling out their country.
They also know it isnt sufficient for what they want otherwise they would be out there talking about what is on the laptop every day.
I'm sure there is no picture of Joe Biden taking a cash payment from Chairman Xi.
Yes we are concerned that the former 'president' is a traitor who incited/led a failed insurrection and coup and those foreign documents that he refused and obstructed to return - talk about traitors selling out their country
DEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE FLECTIONUS MAXIMUS
Desperate and deplorable and bitter clinger
Funny how leftists were singing a far different tune when Democrats wasted 7 plus years investigating all things Trump- including two baseless impeachments.
Facts don't matter to leftists do they?
The laptop was 100% legally obtained. Hunter, the crack addled, drunken, moron brought it to a repair shop. He signed the repair agreement. Then never showed up to collect the laptop or pay for the repairs once the work was done. As per the agreement he signed the laptop then became the property of the repair shop owner. Who turned it over the FBI.
Chain of custody is the Hunter Biden, the repair shop owner, and the FBI. One really easy way to tell if the hard drives were tampered with is for the FBI to turn over the originals. Of course they have to find them first. Rather damn convenient.
Hunter hasn't denied one damn thing released off the lap top. Not one. Pretty damn hard when it contains pictures of himself involved in sex acts with prostitutes, smoking crack, and his personal emails.
Hunter's lawyers are trying to sue the repair shop owner. That contract Hunter signed is going to be the millstone around Hunter's in the slander countersuit filed by the repair shop owner.
Democrats do love their criminals; which is the reason they are defending Brandon and Hunter so damn hard.
About six months ago Matt Gaetz entered the contents of Hunter Biden's laptop into the Congressional record of one the committees he is on.
The Republicans in Congress already know what is on the laptop. Why do you all keep pretending it is not known?
Is it because what is on there is not sufficient to convict Joe Biden ? and pretending they dont know can make the contents seem more sinister?
Ask your [Deleted] buddy who I was responding to. Who claims the information on it isn't real.
As for the rest of your bullshit. Brandon could shoot a 100 people outside the White House and you would claim there wasn't sufficient evidence to impeach.
On obstruction charges alone there is more than enough evidence to impeach Brandon if Republicans use Democrat standards for impeachment.
They should be orgasmic right now, they just filed charges against Hunter for something, but it's not about the laptop.
Then he should come out of the Inquiry just fine.
Just like the former 'president' though we all know that he is guilty as sin.
the former 'president' is guilty as sin that is
Guilty of all those crimes? Interesting.
Trouble these Trump apologists have is that Trump has admitted to almost all the crimes whenever a camera is stuck in his face. There is near an insurmountable amount of evidence that they are having to ignore, so distracting to hunter is the easiest thing to do.
That isn't much of a defense for the wrongdoing of Hunter's defense team.
LOL. The former 'president' is such a fucking moron who always seems to forget with each of his rants THAT ANYTHING YOU SAY MAY BE USED AGAINST YOU IN A COURT OF LAW
Deflection.
Hunter already tried to plead guilty to the charges. If republicans had not gotten all up in arms about that, the Hunter outrage would be over by now.
But of course the republicans cannot end the Hunter accusations until after the election.
No, I was responding to Ozz's comment, not a deflection.
After Weiss let the most serious of the charges statute of limitations run out. Didn't want t charge him with anything.. Was only shamed into a plea deal after IRS and FBI whistle blowers shamed him into it- after outing just how unserious his investigation was. A plea deal the likes of which had never been seen before- and granted Hunter immunity from all future investigations. That was shot down by the judge- who was smarter than the Weiss/Garland/and Hunter's lawyers.
If Brandon's DOJ weren't such corrupt POS Brandon would already be in prison and a full investigation into Brandon's pay for play scheme would be underway by the DOJ.
What the fuck do you think Democrats are doing with all of these BS charges against Trump? Why the fuck did they wait so long to file them? Everyone knows they are complete and utter bullshit meant to tie Trump up during the height of the Republican primaries; and right up the to elections in 2024.
It is hilarious when Democrats/leftists try to pretend they have any damn integrity.
What??? Which charge against Trump do you think is BS?
Because we aren't all as blind as you are.
When the swamp fights back, one must stay the course and persist to bring it down. Lest the swamp continues its uncontrolled growth …..