The IRS on Monday removed the entire investigating team from its long-running tax-fraud probe of Hunter Biden in retaliation against a whistleblower who claimed that his colleagues were trying to "cover up" the President's son's financial crimes. The purge was done on the orders of the Justice Department, the whistleblower's attorney told Congress in a letter.
However, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) commissioner Daniel Werfel told Congress that his agency would not retaliate against whistleblowers, the New York Times reported. Hunter's financial dealings have come under scrutiny since a number of leaked emails raised concerns that he was leveraging his political ties to secure lucrative consulting contracts.
Cover Blown
Attorneys for the whistleblower within the tax agency told Congress in a letter that the purge was retaliation done on the orders of President Biden's Justice Department, the New York Post reported.
"Today the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Supervisory Special Agent we represent was informed that he and his entire investigative team are being removed from the ongoing and sensitive investigation of the high-profile, controversial subject about which our client sought to make whistleblower disclosures to Congress.
"He was informed the change was at the request of the Department of Justice," Mark Lytle and Tristan Leavitt wrote.
The unnamed whistleblower did not publicly name Hunter as the subject of his cover-up allegations, but congressional sources did.
"On April 27, 2023, IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel appeared before the House Committee on Ways and Means.
"He testified: 'I can say without any hesitation there will be no retaliation for anyone making an allegation or a call to a whistleblower hotline.'
"However, this move is clearly retaliatory and may also constitute obstruction of a congressional inquiry," the lawyers went on.
"Our client has a right to make disclosures to Congress ... He is protected by 5 U.S.C. § 2302 from retaliatory personnel actions—including receiving a 'significant change in duties, responsibilities, or working conditions' (which this clearly is) because of his disclosures to Congress.
"Any attempt by any government official to prevent a federal employee from furnishing information to Congress is also a direct violation of longstanding appropriations restriction. Furthermore, 18 U.S.C. § 1505 makes it a crime to obstruct an investigation of Congress," Lytle and Leavitt wrote.
"We respectfully request that you give this matter your prompt attention. Removing the experienced investigators who have worked this case for years and are now the subject-matter experts is exactly the sort of issue our client intended to blow the whistle on to begin with," the whistleblower's team added.
Twist in the Tale?
Hunter Biden, 53, was seen earlier on Monday attending his daughter Maisy's graduation at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia along with his father, President Joe Biden, and First Lady Jill Biden.
He is still awaiting word on whether or not he will face tax fraud charges, and his family is the target of growing corruption allegations.
On April 26, his legal team met with representatives from the Department of Justice, indicating that a decision regarding whether or not he will be charged criminally is imminent.
The investigation will look at whether the consultant evaded taxes, laundered money, or lied about past drug usage in a bid to obtain a gun.
The FBI is said to be "growing frustrated" over the fact with Delaware US attorney David Weiss, who is overseeing the case, has not yet filed charges, even though the majority of the bureau's investigation was finished last year.
The White House has consistently denied meddling in the matter.
Republican senators are already looking into how 10 members of Joe Biden's family received more than $10 million from foreigners while he served as Obama's deputy.
Those who benefited from the arrangement include Hallie Biden, Beau Biden's widow and Hunter Biden's former lover, and his wife Kathleen Buhle.
The grandchildren, nieces, and nephews of Joe Biden, James Biden and his wife Sarah, and Hunter Biden's present spouse Melissa Cohen Biden are all claimed recipients of payment under the arrangement.
House Republicans claim that Joe Biden frequently met with relatives' business partners, including those from China, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Russia, and Ukraine, and that the Biden family members were merely selling access to the highest levels of the US government rather than providing any actual business services.
Hunter started an art career and asked for up to $500,000 for his early works after his father was elected president and made a vow to end any future family conflicts of interest abroad.
Hunter's membership on the board of an energy company in Ukraine also sparked allegations of influence peddling.
He and Valerie Biden Owens, the president's sister, flew on Air Force One during the latter's most recent trip to Ireland.
Recently, Biden appeared before a judge in Arkansas in a paternity dispute brought by Lunden Roberts, a former fling.
Hunter will also be required to take a deposition in June, during which Roberts' attorneys would probably question him about his multiple businesses and dubious international endeavors.
Hunter Biden's laptop also contained a number of pornographic images along with a webcam video of the 53-year-old showing him struggling with flatulence.
