The chairmen of the House Ways and Means, Judiciary, and Oversight Committees are “concerned” that the Department of Justice is hindering the agency’s inspector general from investigating allegations raised by two Internal Revenue Service whistleblowers previously assigned to Hunter Biden’s criminal case.
In a letter to DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz, Chairmen Jim Jordan (R-OH) of Judiciary, Jason Smith (R-MO) of Ways and Means, and James Comer (R-KY) of Oversight said they are “concerned that the DOJ is limiting” Horowitz’s office from “fully investigating the disclosures provided” to his office by the IRS whistleblowers.
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IRS supervisory special agent Gary Shapley and IRS special agent Joseph Ziegler both worked on the Hunter Biden criminal investigation and alleged in testimony before the full House Oversight Committee that the DOJ significantly interfered in the investigation.
They claimed the department “slow-walked” the investigation and allowed the statute of limitations on some criminal charges to lapse; the department blocked them from interviewing Hunter Biden or his adult children for the investigation and that the DOJ denied the lead US Attorney David Weiss’ request for special counsel status.
Both Shapley and Ziegler said once they started raising these concerns — first to their superiors, then to Congress — they were taken off the Hunter Biden case and faced negative career repercussions.
“The DOJ and IRS have reportedly engaged in unlawful whistleblower retaliation against the IRS employees,” the chairmen said in the letter. “Their testimony raised serious questions about the federal government’s commitment to evenhanded justice.
On July 19, Horowitz, the DOJ inspector general, confirmed in a letter to Congress that Shapley made protected disclosures to him about the Hunter Biden criminal investigation and said his office had taken “a number of steps to assess the information he provided” but that there was “potential limitation on the OIG’s jurisdiction” to investigate the claims.
Pursuant to the Inspector General Act, Horowitz said he conferred with the DOJ’s Office of Professional Responsibility, which has jurisdiction over “allegations of misconduct involving Department attorneys, investigators, or law enforcement personnel, where the allegations relate to the exercise of the authority of an attorney to investigate, litigate, or provide legal advice.”
But, the chairmen said that the “DOJ appears to be continuing to sacrifice its professional responsibility to cover for the President’s son—and perhaps, the President himself,” and they are worried that the investigation into their claims is being hindered by the department. So, they are requesting more information about the status of the investigation.
“To help the Committees understand the scope of your investigation, please provide documents and/or information sufficient to explain whether your office is (1) limited in any way from fully investigating the whistleblowers disclosures based on 5 U.S.C. § 413(b)(3) or any other law or regulation, and (2) if you are limited, how and why your office is limited,” they said in the letter.
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They gave Horowitz until Sep. 6 to comply with the request.
It is unlikely the inspector general will provide documents or information as the internal investigation is ongoing as of July 19, but this shows that amid new evidence that corroborates the whistleblowers’ testimony, the chairmen are still getting onto the department to investigate what exactly occurred during the criminal investigation into Hunter Biden.
