IRS agent Darrell Waldon echoed IRS whistleblower Gary Shapley’s testimony that prosecutors in Washington, DC, and California previously blocked now-special counsel David Weiss from charging Hunter Biden in those jurisdictions.
“Mr. Weiss went to the U.S. Attorney’s Office — I can’t recall the dates — and they did not agree to prosecute the case in D.C.,” Waldon told the House Ways and Means Committee during a transcribed interview in September, the Washington Examiner reported.
“I’m aware that it was presented to the District of Columbia and, at some point, the Central District of California, I believe,” he added.
Waldon’s transcribed interview comes after he previously confirmed Shapley’s claims in April of political interference. Waldon later left the Hunter Biden case for another responsibility within the IRS.
As the investigation progressed, Weiss never charged Hunter Biden in the jurisdictions of Washington, DC, or California. Instead, he formed a sweetheart plea agreement with Hunter Biden that collapsed in July under judicial scrutiny. Shapley’s testimony in April reportedly triggered the plea deal, filed in Delaware. Weiss later brought three gun-related charges in Delaware against Hunter Biden.
The recent testimony by Waldon, who was Shapley’s boss, is notable because Attorney General Merrick Garland testified Wednesday that nobody had the authority to block Weiss from charging Hunter Biden, though “they could refuse to partner with him.”
“You said [Weiss] had complete authority, but he’d already been turned down. He wanted to bring an action in D.C. and the US Attorney there said, ‘No, you can’t’ — and then you go tell the U.S. Senate, under oath, that he has complete authority?” House Oversight Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-OH) asked.
“No one had the authority to turn him down; they could refuse to partner with him.” Garland replied.
“You can use whatever language — ‘refuse to partner’ is turning down,” Jordan replied.
“It is not the same under a well-known Justice Department practice,” Garland claimed.
Waldon previously confirmed Shapley’s notes presented to Congress regarding an October 7, 2022, meeting between Waldon, Shapley, and Weiss, among others. “Darrell asked me to shoot an update from today’s meeting. Darrell — feel free to comment if I miss anything,” the top line of the email read.In point two of the email to Waldon, Shapley recapped that “Weiss stated he is not the deciding person of whether charges are filed. I believe this is a huge problem — inconsistent with DOJ public position and Merrick Garland testimony.”
Waldon replied to Shapley, “Thanks, Gary. You covered it all”:
🚨BIDEN FAMILY COVER-UP🚨
— Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) July 10, 2023
For those keeping score at home:
1. Today, US Attorney David Weiss confirmed the Oct. 7 meeting happened.
2. Whistleblower Gary Shapley’s Oct. 7 meeting wrap email says Weiss claimed he did not have the authority to bring charges against Hunter Biden.… pic.twitter.com/FX9USJrpCs
Shapley, along with his subordinate, Joseph Ziegler, the second IRS whistleblower, support the allegation. In addition, IRS Director of Field Operations Michael Batdorf told the House Ways and Means Committee on September 12 that the DOJ’s tax division opposed charging Hunter Biden.
IRS Supervisory Special Agent Gary Shapley, left, and Joseph Ziegler, an IRS Agent with the criminal investigations division, are sworn in at a House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing with IRS whistleblowers, Wednesday, July 19, 2023, in Washington. (Stephanie Scarbrough/AP)
Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality.
