Main Topic: Accusations of misconduct and misrepresentation in Hunter Biden's criminal tax case.
Key Points:
1. Attorney for Rep. Jason Smith sought to introduce evidence from the House Ways and Means Committee.
2. Hunter Biden's lawyer opposed the filing, citing failure to follow proper procedures and inclusion of unredacted tax information.
3. Accusations were made regarding impersonation and misrepresentation during communications with the court clerk.
Main Topic: Hunter Biden expected to plead guilty to two misdemeanor counts of failing to pay taxes.
Key Points:
1. Hunter Biden is expected to plead guilty to failing to pay taxes for the years 2017 and 2018.
2. He also faced a separate gun charge, but a pretrial agreement may result in the case being wiped from his record.
3. Republicans have criticized the plea deal, arguing that it is lenient and questioning the handling of the investigation by the Justice Department.
Main Topic: House GOP committee chairmen issue subpoenas to IRS and FBI officials regarding the investigation into Hunter Biden's tax violation allegations.
Key points:
1. The subpoenas are issued to IRS and FBI officials who were present at or had direct knowledge of a meeting where the investigation into Hunter Biden was discussed.
2. The House GOP committee chairmen have been looking into potential political interference in the federal probe.
3. The subpoenas are crucial to understanding if Hunter Biden received special treatment and who made the ultimate decision in his case.
Republicans are continuing their investigations into Hunter Biden, with two IRS employees testifying privately about the federal probe into President Biden's son, raising concerns of interference from the Biden White House or Justice Department.
House Republicans accuse Hunter Biden's legal team of intimidating and harassing IRS whistleblowers involved in the Hunter Biden tax probe.
The FBI agent overseeing the investigation into Hunter Biden disputed whistleblower claims that the prosecutor in charge of the probe was stymied by the Justice Department, according to a transcript obtained by The Washington Post.
An FBI agent involved in the Hunter Biden probe testified that the prosecutor leading it faced hurdles and lack of cooperation from other U.S. attorneys, but still had the authority to bring tax charges against Hunter Biden; the testimony comes amid investigations into the Biden family and Republicans' push for an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.
IRS whistleblower Gary Shapley's former superior, IRS Special Agent Darrell Waldon, recommended removing him from the federal investigation into Hunter Biden, confirming key parts of Shapley's claims about the limited scope of the probe.
The FBI has established a dedicated unit to investigate threats against agents and prosecutors involved in the Hunter Biden case, as right-wing individuals accuse them of being too lenient, despite the recent indictment of Hunter Biden on federal felony charges for lying on a gun form; however, critics argue that Hunter Biden's alleged crimes would never have been prosecuted if he weren't the president's son.
Hunter Biden's attorneys filed a lawsuit against the IRS, accusing agents of targeting and embarrassing him by disclosing his confidential tax information, and seeking damages for unauthorized disclosures.
Potential tax charges against Hunter Biden faced obstacles when federal prosecutors in California and Washington, D.C. declined to assist U.S. Attorney David Weiss in charging him, leading to frustration and concerns about the investigation's future, according to testimony from an IRS law enforcement official obtained by POLITICO.
IRS officials Michael Batdorf and Darrell Waldon testified before the House Ways and Means Committee, contradicting Attorney General Merrick Garland's claim that Special Counsel David Weiss had "full authority" over whether to charge Hunter Biden with tax crimes, revealing that the Justice Department's Tax Division would also need to authorize charges.
House Republicans released more than 700 pages of IRS whistleblower documents that they claim demonstrate Hunter Biden's use of his father's political position in a global influence-peddling scheme, fueling the House GOP impeachment inquiry against President Joe Biden centered on his son's foreign business dealings.
House Republicans released documents suggesting that IRS agents investigating Hunter Biden faced obstacles whenever President Joe Biden's name came up in the probe, though senior Justice Department prosecutors believed the investigators had legitimate reasons to avoid the elder Biden, and there is no evidence that DOJ officials acted at the request of senior leadership.
The House Oversight Committee's first hearing in the impeachment inquiry of President Joe Biden featured several false and misleading claims from Republican members, including claims about shell companies and payments to the Bidens, Hunter Biden's qualification to sit on the board of Burisma, the Justice Department's handling of a search warrant related to Hunter Biden, wire transfers to Hunter Biden from China, allegations of bribery involving Joe Biden and Burisma, Hunter Biden's failure to pay taxes, and a purported text message between James and Hunter Biden.
President Joe Biden's denial of discussing business with his son Hunter has been contradicted by new FOIA-obtained emails, revealing extensive communication between Joe, Hunter, and their respective firms during his vice presidency, adding to the GOP investigation into the alleged Biden family influence-peddling operation.
In his closed-door testimony to Congress, Matthew Graves, the top-ranking Justice Department prosecutor in Washington, DC, refuted claims by two IRS whistleblowers that he blocked federal investigators from charging Hunter Biden with tax crimes, discrediting allegations that have been used to fuel an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.
