On Tuesday, Congressman James Comer (R-Ky.), Chairman of the House Oversight Committee, announced a subpoena for Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Alejandro Mayorkas over claims that the Secret Service was tipped off about the investigation into Hunter Biden’s tax crimes.
According to The Hill, Comer issued subpoenas for Mayorkas, three DHS employees, and two Secret Service staffers. The announcement comes less than a month after an FBI agent said in closed-door congressional testimony that the FBI had given the Secret Service a warning about plans for a possible interview of Hunter in December of 2020. Due to the unprecedented heads-up from the bureau, the interview was ultimately canceled amid the then-ongoing presidential transition.
The subpoenas all serve two purposes each, both seeking information about how the protective service was informed of the interview in the first place, while also accusing the agencies in question of improper conduct in order to get more information out of them. The subpoena specifically alleges that the DHS prohibited the Secret Service from responding to a prior request for an interview over claims made by IRS whistleblower Gary Shapley.
In letters accompanying the subpoenas, Comer wrote that the committee had received information alleging that the DHS’ Office of Legislative Affairs (OLA) had “instructed the Secret Service to withhold a response the Secret Service had prepared for the committees.”
In a statement responding to Comer, a DHS spokesman said that “the claim that we obstructed or withheld a response is categorically false and these subpoenas are entirely without basis. DHS was working to respond to this inquiry appropriately, including identifying the relevant information and individuals.”
“Investigators were never able to interview Hunter Biden during the criminal investigation because Secret Service headquarters and the Biden transition team were tipped off about the planned interview. This is just one of many examples of the misconduct and politicization during the Department of Justice’s investigation,” Comer said in a public statement: “The Department of Homeland Security is obstructing our investigation by muzzling the Secret Service from providing a response to Congress.”
Hunter Biden had recently agreed to a plea deal involving several tax-related charges, as well as a firearm charge, where he would plead “not guilty” in exchange for a reduced penalty. After the plea deal collapsed in court at the last minute, the Department of Justice appointed U.S. Attorney David Weiss, who had been leading the prosecution of Hunter, to the position of Special Counsel, granting him additional powers and protection from Congress as he continues his investigation.