Politics
BREAKING: Second Whistleblower Alleges U.S. Attorney Was ‘Not Really’ In Charge Of Hunter Biden’s Tax Probe
A second whistleblower has come forward alleging that U.S. Attorney David Weiss was not the one making decisions, nor was he really in charge. The testimony seems to bolster the assertions made by Gary Shapley, the first whistleblower who has publicly shared his concerns.
The second whistleblower, referred to as Mr. X, worked under Shapley. He revealed his concerns early this month to congressional staff in an emotional testimony, echoing the claims of Shapley that Weiss was not steering the probe. According to Mr. X, Weiss was instead forced to follow guidelines from the Washington, D.C. U.S. Attorney.
“So I’m sitting here in front of you right now terrified. In coming forward, I’m risking my career, my reputation, and the casework that I’m working outside this investigation,” the whistleblower explained according to the transcript.
“I believe that the Delaware U.S. Attorney’s Office and DOJ Tax have a clear target on me and my supervisor’s back, and I believe that they are waiting for an opportunity to pounce on us. My own agency retaliated against me, as I just stated, even after years of essentially being left on an island from them when it came to this investigation.”
Gary Shapley, an IRS whistleblower, had previously stepped forward, alleging that federal prosecutors engaged in “preferential treatment and politics” to avoid pressing charges against Hunter Biden. Shapley testified in detail to the House Committee on Ways and Means on May 26 to shed light on his concerns.
Mr. X, who remains anonymous, was part of the IRS criminal investigators participating in the Hunter Biden investigation under Shapley. The entire team of IRS agents was removed from the case after Shapley made his whistleblower claims public. Shapley’s lawyers informed Congress in mid-May that they believed the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) decision to remove the team was an act of retaliation.
WATCH:
🚨 BREAKING: A second IRS Whistleblower has come forward corroborating Gary Shapley’s claims that David Weiss was not allowed to make key decisions about the Hunter Biden case.
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) June 27, 2023
Mr. X testified to the committee on June 1, largely corroborating Shapley’s allegations. His testimony seemed to contradict the statement from Attorney General Merrick Garland, who indicated that Weiss had been given free rein to pursue charges against Hunter Biden.
Mr. X also revealed that Weiss, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware, overseeing their investigation, was consistently hampered, limited, and marginalized by DOJ officials as well as other U.S. Attorneys. Contrary to the impression that Weiss had the powers of a special counsel in this case with full autonomy, this evidently wasn’t the case.
Mr. X came to light after a letter he wrote to IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel was included in a whistleblower package that Shapley provided to Congress and the Office of Special Counsel. The letter detailed Shapley and Mr. X’s concerted efforts to alert IRS leadership about the problems in the investigation and their reluctance to address these concerns.
The whistleblower package sent to Congress from Shapley’s attorneys also addressed the agency’s response to the letter. It revealed that a superior admonished Mr. X for breaking the chain of command and suggested he may have illegally disclosed grand jury information to Werfel.
Last week, Hunter Biden reached a plea deal with the DOJ, agreeing to plead guilty to two tax crimes and admitting to a gun violation that may be dismissed.
House Republicans, citing the discrepancy between Weiss’s alleged conduct in the meeting and his statement in a recent letter to House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, are calling for further scrutiny. Weiss had written in his letter, “I want to make clear that as the Attorney General has stated, I have been granted ultimate authority over this matter, including responsibility for deciding where, when and whether to file charges.”
