On Wednesday, a fed-up IRS official who had supervised the Hunter Biden tax evasion probe since early 2020 contacted Congress through an attorney, alleging “preferential treatment” and a cover-up in the case.
The whistleblower’s attorney Mark Lytle said in a bombshell letter to Congress that his client can also expose false statements to Congress by a “senior political appointee.” According to the New York Post, that senior appointee is none other than Attorney General Merrick Garland, who has repeatedly claimed under oath that Delaware US Attorney David Weiss is able to criminally charge Hunter Biden without needing the permission of other Justice Department leaders, and without political interference.
The IRS whistleblower has already filed complaints with the Treasury and Justice departments’ Inspectors General.
During an appearance on Fox News’s Special Report on Thursday, Lytle said that his client is “not a political person” and does not have a “political agenda,” but does have documents to support his allegations that he plans to give congressional Democrats and Republicans.
“My client is a career law enforcement officer who is respected within the IRS and he teaches other agents how to properly do investigations,” Lytle said. “He knows when to spot when investigative steps aren’t done in a traditional way to get to the truth.”
Lytle added: “He has spotted and observed things that are done differently in this particular matter and he wants to talk about them and he believes that they were influenced by politics.”
There is reportedly “growing frustration” within the ranks of the FBI because the prosecutions of the Hunter Biden tax evasion and gun violation cases have dragged on for so long. Law enforcement sources told NBC News that the IRS finished its investigation of the first son more than a year ago, and the FBI Baltimore field office “finished the bulk of their work on the case about a year ago.”
The US Attorney’s Office in Delaware is reportedly considering four possible charges: two misdemeanor counts of failing to file taxes, a felony count of evading taxes relating to a business expense, and the gun application form charge. It’s unclear whether authorities are considering additional charges against Hunter Biden for money laundering and failing to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).
Justice Department regulations forbid U.S. attorneys from bringing charges outside their jurisdictions, and require the prosecuting attorney to either to get permission from that jurisdiction’s U.S. attorney or to transfer the case to them.
In April of 2022, Garland told the Senate Judiciary Committee that there would “not be interference of any political or improper kind” in the Delaware U.S. attorney’s investigation into Hunter Biden’s shady business activities.
“He is the supervisor of this investigation,” Garland said of Weiss, adding that “we put the investigation in the hands of a Trump appointee from the previous administration, who is the US attorney for the district of Delaware, and … you have me as the attorney general, who is committed to the independence of the Justice Department from any influence from the White House in criminal matters.”
When pressed on this last month, Garland insisted that Weiss had been authorized to bring charges against Hunter Biden in another jurisdiction or state, if it was deemed necessary.
“The U.S. attorney has been advised that he has full authority to make those kind of referrals that you are talking about and to bring cases in other jurisdictions if he feels it’s necessary. And I will assure that if he does, he will be able to do that,” Garland testified during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) pressed Garland over whether Weiss was truly able to bring charges without the approval of other Justice Department officials, specifically if the alleged crime occurred outside Delaware.
“In April 2022, you testified to Sen. Hagerty that the Hunter Biden investigation was insulated from political interference because it was assigned, as you just now told me, to the Delaware US Attorney’s Office,” Grassley said at the time.
“However, that could be misleading. Without special counsel authority, he could need permission of another US attorney in certain circumstances to bring charges outside the district of Delaware,” Grassley continued. “I would like clarification from you with respect to these concerns.”
Garland insisted that Weiss is able to charge Hunter Biden even for crimes that occurred outside Delaware.
“The US attorney in Delaware has been advised that he has full authority to make those kind of referrals that you’re talking about or to bring cases in other jurisdictions if he feels it’s necessary. And I will assure that if he does, he will be able to do that,” the AG said.
Grassley pressed: “Does the Delaware US attorney lack independent charging authority over certain criminal allegations against the president’s son outside of the district of Delaware?”
“If it’s in another district, he would have to bring the case in another district, but as I said, I’ve promised to ensure he’s able to carry out his investigation and that he be able to run it and if he needs to bring it in another jurisdiction, he will have full authority to do that,” Garland said.
At one point during the back-and-forth Grassley asked Garland an oddly specific question about potential charges in two other states.
“Has the Delaware U.S. Attorney sought permission from another U.S. Attorney’s office such as in the District of Columbia or in California to bring charges [against Hunter Biden]? If so was it denied?” Grassley asked.
“I don’t know the answer to that, and I don’t want to get into the internal elements of decision making by the U.S. attorney, but he has been advised that he is not to be denied anything that he needs,” the attorney general replied.
“If the U.S. attorney there in Delaware has to seek permission from a Biden-appointed U.S. attorney to bring charges, then the Hunter Biden criminal investigation isn’t insulated from political interference as you publicly proclaim,” Grassley stated.
Intentionally giving false testimony to Congress is a crime punishable by up to five years in prison if proven.
During an appearance on Fox News Thursday, the New York Post’s Miranda Devine told host Tucker Carlson that this “might be the breakthrough story” to expose the Biden’s corruption because “the coverup, like Watergate, is now bigger than the original story.”
Devine said Garland’s sworn testimony about Weiss having all the power and authority he needs is obviously untrue. “That is just opposite of the truth, and really, if Merrick Garland doesn’t know that he’s not doing his job properly,” the reporter said.