Hunter Biden on Wednesday is set to appear in federal court in Wilmington, Delaware, where he will plead guilty to two misdemeanor counts of failing to pay taxes and has already reached a pretrial agreement on a felony gun charge. But a bigger fight continues between GOP lawmakers and the White House.
Though the president’s youngest son has reportedly paid off his tax debts and struck a plea deal that avoids jail time, another prosecution continues on Capitol Hill.
New developments last week in the GOP’s ongoing fight with the Biden family included the first public testimony by two IRS agents involved in the Hunter Biden investigation, along with the public release of an FBI document with unverified allegations against President Joe Biden.
Here are the moments you might have missed:
Unclassified FBI document made public
Senator Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, released an internal FBI document Thursday, tweeting “now the world can see” what he and other Republican lawmakers allege is proof of criminal wrongdoing by Biden. The document, a FD-1023 form, contains unverified reports by a confidential informant accusing then-Vice President Biden of involvement in a foreign bribery scheme with a Ukrainian business executive.
The FBI had allowed House Oversight Committee members to view the document last month, after Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., threatened the agency with contempt proceedings.
Grassley said he obtained the document to disclose “via legally protected disclosures by Justice Department whistleblowers.”
“While the FBI sought to obfuscate and redact, the American people can now read this document for themselves, without the filter of politicians or bureaucrats,” Grassley said in a written statement Thursday.
Rep. Jamie Raskin reviewed the document in June as ranking member on House Oversight.
In a statement Thursday, the Maryland Democrat condemned Grassley’s actions as “another transparently desperate attempt by Committee Republicans to revive the aging and debunked Giuliani-framed conspiracy theories and to distract from their continuing failure to produce any actual evidence of wrongdoing by the President,” referencing bribery allegations made by former President Donald Trump’s former attorney Rudy Giuliani.
Whistleblowers allege preferential treatment
Greg Shapley and Joseph Ziegler appeared before a joint hearing in the House Wednesday, accusing the president’s son of receiving special treatment during a yearslong investigation by the Department of Justice.
“At every stage decisions were made that benefited the subject of this investigation,” Shapley said.
Charges against Hunter Biden focused on tax fraud and a firearm offense; he agreed to a plea deal last month, which Republicans have criticized as a “slap on the wrist.”
IRS agents Shapley and Ziegler had been assigned to the case. They told House members that Justice Department officials restricted their efforts and the overall investigation.
“It appeared to me, based on what I experienced, that the U.S. attorney in Delaware in our investigation was constantly hamstrung, limited and marginalized by (Justice Department) officials as well as other U.S. attorneys,” Ziegler testified.
Hunter Biden court date: What happens next?
David Weiss, the U.S. attorney for Delaware who has investigated Hunter Biden for five years, said the president’s son was charged with two counts of willful failure to pay federal income tax.
Hunter Biden allegedly received at least $1.5 million each year in 2017 and 2018, but didn’t pay taxes, according to court records. The Justice Department is expected to recommend probation, although a federal judge will review the agreement.
The gun charge alleges Biden possessed a firearm in 2018, a Colt Cobra 38SPL revolver, despite being addicted to drugs, which is a violation of federal law. Biden agreed to a pretrial diversion program, which could eventually lead to the dismissal of the charge.
“Hunter will take responsibility for two instances of misdemeanor failure to file tax payments when due pursuant to a plea agreement,” his lawyer Christopher Clark said last month. “I know Hunter believes it is important to take responsibility for these mistakes he made during a period of turmoil and addiction in his life. He looks forward to continuing his recovery and moving forward.”
Bart Jansen contributed to this report.
