(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) The House Judiciary and Ways and Means committees issued subpoenas on Monday, seeking key IRS and Justice Department officials to testify in relation to mounting allegations of political interference in the criminal investigation of Hunter Biden, the embattled son of President Joe Biden.
According to the Republican-led committees, the focus of these interviews is to uncover details surrounding a meeting that took place on Oct. 7, 2022, where now-Special Counsel David Weiss reportedly claimed he was prevented from bringing charges against Hunter for alleged tax crimes.
The subpoenas were issued after repeated refusals by the DOJ and the IRS to comply with earlier requests for voluntary transcribed interviews with the individuals in question.
“Our Committees have sought these interviews since IRS whistleblowers came forward with concerning allegations of political interference in the investigation into Hunter Biden’s foreign influence peddling and tax evasion,” Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith, Mo., and Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, Ohio, jointly stated on Monday.
They further added, “Our subpoenas are crucial to understanding how the president’s son received special treatment from federal prosecutors and who ultimately decided the course of the case.”
Sworn testimony from an IRS whistleblower alleged that Weis, as U.S. attorney for Delaware, affirmed during the infamous October 2022 meeting that he was barred from filing harsh charges against Biden’s son.
Contrary to this, Attorney General Merrick Garland had previously testified that Weiss had full authority to pursue charges. Similarly, Weiss echoed Garland’s remarks in subsequent statements to House Republicans but requested special counsel status just last week.
Weiss’s request to be promoted to special counsel, a move that gives him authority to file charges outside Delaware, led to doubts about the accuracy of both the attorney general’s and Weiss’s previous statements to Congress, the Republican leaders added.
According to the press release, the subpoenas were directed to individuals with reported high roles in the investigation, including Michael T. Batdorf, IRS director of field operations; Darrell J. Waldon, IRS special agent in charge; Thomas J. Sobocinski, FBI special agent in charge; and Ryeshia Holley, FBI assistant special agent in charge.
