House Republicans want officials from the Justice Department and the IRS to answer questions about allegations from whistleblowers that there was improper meddling in the investigation of Hunter Biden.
The chairs of the House Oversight, Judiciary and Ways and Means committees are seeking interviews with over a dozen officials involved in the probe of the president's son, including David Weiss, the U.S. attorney for Delaware.
Weiss, a Trump administration holdover, announced this month that he'd reached a plea agreement with Hunter Biden on tax-related charges after a sprawling five-year investigation. Biden is expected to plead guilty next month to two federal misdemeanor counts of failing to pay his taxes.
Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith, R-Mo., sent letters Thursday demanding that Justice Department and IRS leaders make officials available to answer claims from two IRS whistleblowers that the investigation "was purposely slow-walked and subjected to improper and politically motivated interference."
“The federal government is supposed to work for the American people, but whistleblower evidence shows that several federal employees were working overtime to cover up for the Bidens. We need to hear from these federal employees and other witnesses about this weaponization of federal law enforcement power," the three said in a joint statement.
They warned that the committees "will resort to compulsory process" — subpoenas — if the agencies don't make the officials available for interviews in the coming weeks.
Among the whistleblowers' claims are that Weiss sought authority to hit Hunter Biden with broader charges in Washington and California but was told the U.S. attorneys in those districts wouldn’t do so.
The Justice Department, which has denied the allegations, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
“As both the Attorney General and U.S. Attorney David Weiss have said, U.S. Attorney Weiss has full authority over this matter, including responsibility for deciding where, when, and whether to file charges as he deems appropriate. He needs no further approval to do so,” Wyn Hornbuckle, the deputy director of the Justice Department Office of Public Affairs, said in a statement last week.
Attorney General Merrick Garland, asked last week whether he would object to Weiss' testifying before the House, responded, "I would support Mr. Weiss explaining or testifying on these matters when he deems it appropriate."
The IRS didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
The committee chairs also sent a letter to the head of the Secret Service seeking information about whether agents might have tipped off Biden family members about the investigation.
The Secret Service didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Hunter Biden's plea hearing is scheduled for July 26. Two sources familiar with the plea agreement have said it includes a provision in which the U.S. attorney has agreed to recommend probation.
Republicans have blasted the agreement as a "sweetheart deal."
