The suspicion and distrust among those involved in the federal investigation into Hunter Biden stretch back years, according to a review of transcripts, documents, and interviews, showing how prosecutors and investigators turned on each other while handling a high-profile case. Hunter Biden, 53, was indicted last month on false statement and gun possession charges, and special counsel David Weiss will decide whether to file tax charges against him in California. Biden will plead not guilty to the gun charges Tuesday in federal court. First opened by IRS agents in 2018, the Biden probe became public during the 2020 presidential campaign. Democrats argue Hunter Biden is the victim of a sustained smear campaign; Republicans insist the president’s only surviving son has received kid-glove treatment by the Biden administration. Republican criticism intensified after two IRS agents came forward as whistleblowers in the spring, complaining that Justice Department officials, including Weiss, who led the investigation as the U.S. Attorney for Delaware before his appointment in August as special counsel, stymied their case. The allegations have become a key element of Republican efforts to impeach President Biden, The Washington Post reports.
Along the way, Justice Department officials repeatedly insisted on senior-level sign-off for investigative steps. Those approvals from the Justice Department’s tax division often came slowly if at all, raising suspicions among agents that prosecutors had no desire to move forward. The whistleblowers and their supporters say they came forward to force authorities to do the right thing: bring criminal charges against a person who the agents believe broke the law. Senior law enforcement officials insist they steered the investigation appropriately. They said they eventually removed the IRS agents to save the case, not kill it. The investigation into Hunter Biden began because of an international tax probe of an amateur online pornography company in Britain suspected of failing to pay taxes on payments to contractors. One of those people was a suspected escort who bank records showed also received payments from Hunter Biden. A review of Biden’s tax history showed he had failed to file federal tax returns for several years, prompting agents to open a separate probe.