The Department of Justice (DOJ) has offered U.S. Attorney David Weiss, who oversaw the criminal probe into Hunter Biden, to testify before House Republicans following demands.
These demands for testimony from multiple federal officials come amid swirling allegations of politicization and misconduct during the investigation into Mr. Biden, the president’s son.
Assistant Attorney General Carlos Felipe Uriarte wrote a letter to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), offering to make Mr. Weiss available for a public hearing after the August break. This is part of the Republicans’ continuing investigation into the DOJ’s handling of the Hunter Biden probe.
“The Department is ready to offer U.S. Attorney Weiss to testify shortly after Congress returns from the August district work period,” the letter reads.
The congressional inquiry was initiated following testimony from two IRS agents involved in the Hunter Biden case. They revealed a pattern of “slow-walking investigative steps” and delaying enforcement actions in the months leading up to the 2020 presidential election, which was won by his father.
The whistleblowers, who testified publicly last week, maintain that their testimony indicates a pattern of interference and preferential treatment in the Hunter Biden case, not just disagreements with their superiors on investigative steps.
Leading the charge in this investigation is Mr. Jordan from the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) from the House Oversight Committee, and Rep. Jason Smith (R-Mo.) from the House Ways and Means Committee.
They demanded testimony from Mr. Weiss and 10 other Justice Department officials in relation to the probe into Mr. Biden’s alleged tax and gun crimes. That investigation concluded last month with a plea deal, which is expected to prevent Mr. Biden from serving time in prison.
Notably, the three committees are jointly investigating alleged DOJ interference in a five-year probe of Mr. Biden’s potential tax crimes, which may have allowed him to plead guilty to misdemeanors and evade $2.2 million in unpaid taxes.
Their objective is to ascertain if the investigation into Mr. Biden was politically influenced, tracing its roots to an “offshoot” of a prior IRS probe into a foreign pornography platform that emerged in 2018.
Last Friday, Mr. Jordan, Mr. Comer, and Mr. Smith threatened to issue subpoenas if Attorney General Merrick Garland didn’t agree to allow the voluntary congressional testimony of Mr. Weiss and other DOJ officials.
Mr. Weiss will have an opportunity to provide insights into the federal probe involving Mr. Biden.
“The Department believes it is strongly in the public interest for the American people and for Congress to hear directly from U.S. Attorney Weiss on these assertions and questions about his authority at a public hearing,” the letter adds.
Mr. Uriarte’s letter on Monday did not mention other DOJ officials sought for testimony, such as U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada and D.C. U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves, who are also on the House committees’ list for questioning before Mr. Weiss.
House Republicans had requested testimony from a number of federal officials, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Lesley Wolf, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Matthew Graves, and representatives from the DOJ’s Tax Division.
The FBI and IRS are also under scrutiny, with calls for transcribed interviews with key individuals from their ranks, such as the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office and directors within the IRS’s Criminal Investigation division.
A significant aspect of the investigation revolves around an alleged Dec. 7, 2020, “tip-off” from the FBI to the U.S. Secret Service and the Biden transition team. This tip-off reportedly related to the IRS’s criminal investigative team’s plan to interview Mr. Hunter Biden, raising concerns of possible obstruction.
Last Wednesday, lead IRS agent Joseph Ziegler and his supervisor Gary Shapley testified that Justice Department officials obstructed standard investigative steps, and U.S. attorneys appointed by President Joe Biden blocked tax fraud charges in Southern California and Washington, D.C.
Mr. Weiss has denied the IRS whistleblowers’ claims of lacking independent charging authority. Mr. Garland stands by his under-oath testimony supporting Mr. Weiss’s independence, despite being nominated by former President Donald Trump on the recommendation of two Democratic senators.
