House Ways and Means Committee Chair Jason Smith (R-MO) reportedly scheduled a vote for Wednesday on releasing further relevant information about the panel’s probe into Hunter Biden’s tax affairs.
The committee must vote on whether to release the information because of taxpayer secrecy laws. While it is unknown what specific information could be voted on, Politico reported the information has to do with IRS whistleblower disclosures.
At least four IRS agents contend the DOJ interfered politically in the Hunter Biden probe by blocking now-special counsel David Weiss from charging Hunter Biden in Washington, DC, and California, seemingly contradicting Attorney General Merrick Garland’s claims that Weiss had complete authority to charge the president’s son.
In addition, the IRS whistleblowers allege that Assistant U.S. Attorney Lesley Wolf refused to allow investigators to ask about President Joe Biden being “the big guy,” that the DOJ twice prevented Weiss from bringing stronger charges against Hunter Biden, that Garland refused to name a special counsel in the tax investigation, and that the IRS recommended charges against Hunter Biden that were not approved by Garland. IRS agent whistleblowers also told Congress that Hunter Biden failed to pay $125,000 in taxes from income received from Burisma Holdings — all while Joe Biden supercharged the IRS to catch tax cheats upon assuming office.Weiss investigated Hunter Biden for five years for tax, gun, and Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) violations, and allegedly permitted the statute of limitations to expire. His probe came to a head when IRS whistleblowers alleged political interference to Congress in April. According to the New York Times, the DOJ planned to let Hunter Biden off the hook without charges until the whistleblowers came forward. Hunter Biden and Weiss later struck a sweetheart plea deal that fell apart under judicial scrutiny.
The House Ways and Means Committee voted in June to publicly disclose the alleged instances of political interference. In turn, IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel confirmed in July the rights of agency whistleblowers to make protected disclosures to Congress. “As employees, you are the first line of defense to call out issues that raise concerns, and I want it to be clear that we will always encourage a ‘see something, say something’ philosophy,” he wrote.Hunter Biden launched a lawsuit last week against the IRS, alleging its agents improperly disclosed information to congressional investigators. “This assault on Mr. Biden’s rights involved the public disclosure of his confidential tax information during more than 20 nationally televised and non-congressionally sanctioned interviews and numerous public statements,” the lawsuit states.
Wednesday’s reported vote to publicly disclose more information about Hunter Biden would come just one day before the House Oversight Committee holds its first impeachment inquiry hearing. The hearing’s witnesses are Professor Jonathan Turley of George Washington University Law School; Eileen O’Connor, former Assistant Attorney General of the United States Department of Justice Tax Division; and Bruce Dubinsky of Dubinsky Consulting, a forensic accountant expert.
Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality.
