House Panels Subpoena IRS, FBI Officials Over Weiss Meeting.
Two House committees on Monday subpoenaed IRS investigators and Biden administration Department of Justice officials present at or with direct knowledge of a meeting in 2022 in which U.S. attorney for Delaware David Weiss allegedly claimed he was prevented from bringing charges against Hunter Biden for tax crimes.
The subpoenas issued by the Ways and Means and Judiciary committees came after the DOJ and IRS refused to comply with multiple requests for voluntary transcribed interviews with the witnesses, according to a news release from the committees. Weiss was recently appointed special counsel to investigate Hunter Biden.
The subpoenas were issued to IRS Director of Field Operations Michael Batdorf, IRS Special Agent in Charge Darrell Waldon, Baltimore FBI Agent in Charge Tom Sobocinski, and Assistant Special Agent in Charge Ryeshia Holley.
“Our committees, along with the Committee on Oversight and Accountability, have sought these interviews since IRS whistleblowers came forward with concerning allegations of political interference in the investigation into Hunter Biden’s foreign influence peddling and tax evasion,” Ways and Means Chair Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., and Judiciary Chair Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said in the news release.
“Unfortunately, the Biden Administration has consistently stonewalled Congress. Our duty is to follow the facts wherever they may lead, and our subpoenas compelling testimony from Biden Administration officials are crucial to understanding how the president’s son received special treatment from federal prosecutors and who was the ultimate decision-maker in the case.”
The news released stressed that “Americans deserve to know the truth, especially now that Attorney General [Merrick] Garland has appointed as special counsel the same U.S. attorney who oversaw Hunter Biden’s sweetheart plea deal and botched the investigation into his alleged tax crimes.”
According to sworn whistleblower testimony, Weiss said during an Oct. 7, 2022, meeting with DOJ and IRS personnel that “he is not the deciding person on whether charges are filed” against Hunter Biden and that in multiple instances his efforts to bring charges in multiple jurisdictions were denied. This was documented in an email sent the day of the meeting, and provided to the Ways and Means Committee, according to the news release.
This contrasts with previous congressional testimony from Garland, who said Weiss had all the authority necessary to pursue charges. Weiss also told Congress that he had “ultimate” authority over the case.
