Because matter
Republicans, who have repeatedly tried to link the president to his son’s legal woes but have yet to produce evidence to support their corruption allegations, took recent testimony from two IRS whistleblowers as their strongest evidence yet. Today.
Gary Shapley, the top IRS agent who oversaw the Hunter Biden investigation, and an unidentified agent who worked with Mr. Shapley told the Ways and Means panel that the Justice Department has declined to pursue any evidence that would have could have led to Mr. Biden’s involvement in the tax lawsuit against his son; alerted Hunter Biden’s team before critical steps were taken in the investigation; and allowed the statute of limitations to expire on some potential charges.
Mr. Shapley provided emails and messages to support crucial parts of his account, which was supported by a second IRS agent. A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed to the New York Times a key allegation made by Mr. Shapley: that California prosecutors denied Mr. Weiss’ request to prosecute Hunter Biden in that state.
But Mr. Shapley’s account runs counter to statements made by both Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and Mr. Weiss, who in a letter to Congress said he has ultimate authority on the case.
Interviews requested by House Republicans could shed some light on whether Mr. Weiss did, in fact, have ultimate prosecutorial authority or if his powers were limited, as whistleblowers say. And they could reveal if someone is lying.
Background
Shapley’s testimony – which came with newly released summaries of WhatsApp messages that allegedly show Hunter Biden seeking millions of dollars from a Chinese associate as he pleads for his father – was given after House Republicans probed the president and his wife for months. his family.
The inquiry into Hunter Biden’s overseas dealings has yielded some of the most inflammatory claims by Republicans, including a years-old and unsubstantiated allegation that the aging Mr. Biden, while a vice president, accepted a $5 million bribe from Ukrainian firm Burisma that was later covered up by the Justice Department under President Donald J. Trump.
Democrats on the House oversight committee sought to debunk that claim Thursday releasing a transcript of testimony to Congress obtained several years ago. In an interview with an associate of Trump’s personal attorney Rudolph W. Giuliani, Mykola Zlochevsky, the owner of Burisma, denied having had « any contact » with the former vice president while Hunter Biden served on the board. of his company. He also denied that the elderly Mr. Biden or his staff « in any way » assisted Mr. Zlochevsky.
Republicans have provided no evidence that the elderly Mr. Biden has accepted payments from foreign companies or taken any action as a result of Hunter Biden’s overseas work.
What’s next
Republicans have been working toward the impeachment of multiple Biden administration officials for months.
Spokesman Kevin McCarthy pledged to add Mr. Garland to the list if Republicans determine he lied about Mr. Weiss’ authority in the Hunter Biden investigation.
« Someone is lying, » Mr McCarthy posted on Twitter Wednesday. « If we find out it’s Biden’s Attorney General Merrick Garland, we will launch an impeachment inquiry. »
