Whistleblower
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It was kind of interesting watching the Democrats on the committee question the witnesses. The rep from Delaware spent his entire 5 minutes talking about hypocrisy, because the GOP was silent about (sit down) Trump and here they are complaining about Biden. He asked no questions. it was 5 minutes of grandstanding.
Somehow he forgot to mention that Trump was impeached - twice.
He also forgot to mention that, for the last 2 years of Trump's term, his party controlled congress. They could have investigated anything...
Another representative claimed that it was all irrelevant because Biden was not president when these alleged irregularities occurred.
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When the whistleblowers heard Weiss claim that he didn't have authority to investigate, there were a couple of FBI agents in the room.
Jim Jordan subpoenaed them for their testimony.
FBI says "pound sand."
https://www.scribd.com/document/667997076/DOJ-responds-to-Jim-Jordan#
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Weiss requested Special Counsel status and was denied.
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/09/13/irs-whistleblower-hunter-probe-took-notes-00115623
Shapley writes that David Weiss, the Donald Trump-appointed Delaware U.S. Attorney who is leading the Hunter Biden investigation, told law enforcement officials he was “not the deciding person” regarding the investigation...Weiss himself has pushed back on Shapley’s testimony, telling lawmakers that he was “never…denied the authority to bring charges in any jurisdiction.”
In the letter, the lawyers write that Shapley took the notes “during the meeting.” Portions of the handwritten notes are redacted and contain “information not previously released by the House Ways and Means Committee,” according to the letter.
“USA CA [U.S. Attorney, California Martin] Estrada in charge of authorizing those charges in that jurisdiction,” the notes say. “Weiss requested Special Counsel status in D.C. Main DOJ said ‘NO’ – follow the process”
Another FBI agent who attended the Oct. 7 meeting also testified to congressional investigators. That agent said she did not recall Weiss saying he was not the deciding person, and that a comment like that would have stuck out to her, according to her transcript, also obtained by POLITICO. She also said that she both entered and left the meeting under the impression that Weiss could bring charges wherever he liked. She was granted anonymity because she works on sensitive investigations, according to a person familiar with her testimony.
Shapley took notes at the time. The other agent "doesn't recall."
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Why Shapley was removed from the investigation:
"So before I left the special agent in charge position, in February, I recommended to [IRS Director of Field Operations Michael Batdorf] that Gary Shapley be removed as the [supervisory special agent] from the Hunter Biden investigation, primarily due to what I perceived to be unsubstantiated allegations about motive, intent, bias. And, again, my goal was to protect the integrity of the investigation and figure out a way forward," Waldon told GOP investigators.
Presidnet Biden and his son Hunter Biden. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
But Shapley was not reassigned until May, Waldon said. He also denied playing a role in Shapley's removal from the Hunter Biden probe.Earlier in the interview, Waldon conceded the investigation was "sensitive" in nature but said "no" when asked if he thought the case was being politicized.
He also corroborated Shapley's complaint of being limited in the scope of his investigative duties.
"Yes. Or I should say at least of the things that they can ask in interviews, is my general awareness," Waldon answered when asked if Shapley said he and his team were "limited in who they could interview."
So, the investigating agent was seen to have a bias in the investigation, if I read this correctly.
And, he was limited in what he could investigate, and whom.
I wonder where he got that idea.
While the IRS had ultimate say in whether an agent was reassigned, Waldon said that generally, "DOJ would communicate what their preference is, and then we would deliberate on that conversation."
Besides, what is DOJ doing regarding an IRS investigation, especially concerning what agents would investigate?
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A third IRS official confirmed that Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss faced roadblocks when attempting to bring charges against Hunter Biden, contradicting denials issued Wednesday by Attorney General Merrick Garland.
IRS Director of Field Operations Michael Batdorf told the House Ways and Means Committee in a closed-door interview on Sept. 12 that he felt “frustrated” by the refusal of the Justice Department to approve tax charges that IRS agents viewed as well-supported by evidence, according to a transcript of the interview obtained by the Washington Examiner.
HOUSE GOP LEADERS SIGNAL POSSIBLE FUNDING BREAKTHROUGH WITH CONSERVATIVE HOLDOUTS
He also said the IRS removed agent Gary Shapley, a whistleblower, from the Hunter Biden case at the direction of Weiss despite having done nothing wrong.
Batdorf’s testimony was the latest piece of evidence to suggest Weiss did not enjoy the unfettered authority to pursue Hunter Biden that Garland and others claimed he had.
Still, Batdorf, who was above Shapley in the IRS chain of command, stopped short of attributing the DOJ’s actions to bias in favor of President Joe Biden.
In addition to the two Joe Biden-appointed U.S. attorneys who refused to allow Weiss to bring charges against Hunter Biden in their districts, Batdorf said the DOJ Tax Division opposed bringing charges.
Batdorf said DOJ Tax argued against charges for Hunter Biden during a June 2022 meeting with Weiss and IRS officials, who were in favor of advancing the case.
“DOJ Tax would have to authorize charges prior to David Weiss recommending an indictment or prosecution,” Batdorf said during his interview.
“So, I mean, my understanding is that, I mean, he can’t make that decision without DOJ Tax authorization,” Batdorf said.
The IRS supervisor confirmed that Hunter Biden’s defense team was given an unusual number of chances, possibly as many as four, to meet with DOJ Tax investigators and argue why its client should not face charges.
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Lying to Congress.
CIA involvement with Sugar Daddy Morris?
Shapley produced an affidavit and emails showing that Delaware Assistant US Attorney Lesley Wolf told him that “she and DOJ Tax Attorney Jack Morgan had recently returned from the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, where they had been summoned to discuss Kevin Morris . . . and as a result we could no longer pursue him as a witness . . . for the investigation.”
Despite having a high-level security clearance, Shapley was never given the classified briefing he requested to understand why Morris was off-limits, even while the lawyer was an integral part of the tax case, after lending Hunter more than $6 million to pay off his tax debts and fund his ritzy lifestyle.
The CIA’s shadowy hand can be seen elsewhere in the Hunter Biden story, including in the rapid approval of the “Dirty 51” letter signed by 51 former intelligence operatives (mainly from the CIA) before the 2020 election that falsely claimed that Hunter’s laptop was Russian disinformation.
Expect more information from the House Judiciary Committee later in the year as they interview CIA employees.
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