"Just a head's up..."
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FBI SSA (Supervisory Special Agent): So the initial plan was to make approaches of multiple witnesses, to include subject Hunter Biden, on December 8th. At the time, we had learned in the days preceding, probably even before December 3rd, that he had received Secret Service protection, as this is ‐‐ I guess the President was President‐elect at the time. …
At least for the purpose of this, Hunter Biden had armed Secret Service protection providing protection at the direction of whomever. And we knew that we could not just, you know, go to the door, or I certainly believed that we just could not go to the door, so that there would be ‐‐ have to be some notification to Secret Service so they would be aware that we were coming. The initial plan was to have the local field office of the Secret Service be notified the morning of to diminish opportunities for anybody else to be notified. I was working with my management on that, as well as headquarter ‐‐ our FBI headquarters.
Majority Counsel: Can I stop you there? When you say management, you don’t have to say their name, but can you provide the level of supervisory position that would be?
FBI SSA: Sure. So my ‐‐ again, it was an assistant special agent in charge who I reported to, who also ‐‐ I personally was in contact and ‐‐ or at least as part of a greater call with the special agent in charge of Baltimore Division. And I know that they were in contact with FBI headquarters personnel, which would be inside the Criminal Investigative Division, at least at the deputy assistant director or section chief level.
FBI SSA: So, obviously, we were on the West Coast. There were additional interviews across the country, to include the East Coast, which was 3 hours ahead. So we were up early. I was partnered with supervisor number two of the IRS. And as we got together or while we got together on that morning, I was notified by my assistant special agent in charge that we would not even be allowed to approach the house; that the plan, as told to us, was that my information would be given to the Secret Service, to whom I don’t know exactly, and, you know, my name, my contact, you know, my cell phone, for example, with the notification that we would like to talk to Hunter Biden; and that I was not to go near the house and to stand by.
Majority Counsel: In your career of 20 years, have you ever been told that you could ‐‐ that you had to wait outside of a target’s home until they contacted you?
FBI SSA: Not that I recall. I mean, there have been times where we waited for maybe something else operationally to happen, but, no, not from the point of view of the target, the subject of the investigation. …
FBI SSA: We waited a period of time. You know, I will add, it was frustrating, and I know supervisor number two was very frustrated, and I understood that frustration, but I also ‐‐ we had other ‐‐ another interview to conduct. So after a certain period of time, and I don’t exactly recall how long, we transitioned to make an attempt to interview another ‐‐ or a witness as part of the investigation.
Majority Counsel: And were you able to interview Hunter Biden ‐‐
FBI SSA: I was not.
Majority Counsel: ‐‐ as part of your investigation?
FBI SSA: No.
