House Republicans subpoenaed Lesley Wolf, a deputy to the special counsel investigating Hunter Biden, on Tuesday.
The House Judiciary Committee subpoena follows a series of refusals by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to secure voluntary testimony from Ms. Wolf, who played a pivotal role in the inquiry, which whistleblowers alleged was slow-walked by prosecutors.
According to a letter accompanying the subpoena from House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) sent to Ms. Wolf on Tuesday, she possessed “first-hand knowledge” of Hunter Biden’s case and was extensively involved in meetings held at U.S. Attorney for Delaware David Weiss’s office throughout the probe.
The House GOP is investigating whether President Biden leveraged his authority to obstruct probes into his son, which forms a part of their inquiry into whether there is sufficient ground to draft articles of impeachment.
The committee’s interest in Ms. Wolf’s testimony is rooted in allegations that she “deviated from standard investigative procedures,” as testified by two IRS whistleblowers to the House Ways and Means Committee.
“Information available to the Committee suggests that you—either directly or by instructing others—are responsible for many of the decisions to deviate from standard investigative protocol during the Department’s investigation of Hunter Biden,” Mr. Jordan wrote.
This deviation included alleged actions such as tipping off Hunter Biden’s defense counsel about a potential search warrant for his storage unit and objecting to federal investigators executing the warrant later.
Ms. Wolf also allegedly prohibited investigators from questioning witnesses about references linked to President Biden and hindered inquiries into potential campaign finance violations.
Whistleblower testimony by IRS Supervisory Special Agent Gary Shapley also revealed that Ms. Wolf discouraged lines of inquiry that could lead to President Biden, cautioning against questioning “about the big guy” or “dad.”
IRS documents disclosed by whistleblowers also indicated Ms. Wolf’s request to remove references to then-presidential candidate Biden from their probe’s “scope.”
Mr. Shapley’s notes from a meeting in January 2022 unveiled Ms. Wolf’s disinterest in pursuing a report outlining alleged “campaign finance criminal violations” involving Hunter’s associate, Kevin Morris. Ms. Wolf also reportedly declined interviews with Hunter Biden’s adult children, according to Mr. Shapley and fellow whistleblower IRS special agent Joseph Ziegler.
Despite multiple requests from the committee for Ms. Wolf’s testimony, the DOJ has declined, citing policies against making non-Senate-confirmed and line-level employees available for interviews.
Mr. Jordan, who deemed Attorney General Merrick Garland’s denial of a chance to depose Ms. Wolf “unpersuasive,” disputed this stance, citing historical precedent supporting the questioning of line-level prosecutors.
He also contested the notion that an ongoing investigation of Hunter Biden precluded oversight, citing the department’s past cooperation with congressional committees.
Mr. Jordan emphasized Ms. Wolf’s crucial role in shedding light on President Biden’s potential involvement in obstructing the investigations. The committee believes that their investigation must hear from Ms. Wolf, who has “specialized and unique information” that the panel can’t get through other sources.
The committee’s letter noted that, according to witness testimony, communicating with Ms. Wolf’s office, where she served as the primary point of contact, became so “constricted” that questions to the investigators of the Biden family bribery allegations had to be put in writing, and answers were returned in writing.
“Although the Department has allowed other employees involved in the Hunter Biden investigation to testify, albeit with substantial scoping limitations, the Department has not agreed to make you available voluntarily,” Mr. Jordan wrote. ”The Department’s reasons for not allowing you to provide testimony are unpersuasive.”
Hunter Biden faces trial next year for allegedly lying on a gun purchase form about his drug use. Additionally, Mr. Weiss reportedly initiated steps to impanel a federal grand jury in Los Angeles for further tax charges after a prior plea agreement collapsed in federal court last summer.
The subpoena requests Ms. Wolf’s testimony on Dec. 7 and comes shortly after the panel spoke with Mr. Weiss.
