Two IRS whistleblowers will testify next week before the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability on matters relating to the Biden family’s alleged financial dealings, and “the politicization and misconduct” within federal agencies with regard to investigations into Hunter Biden.
Gary Shapley, an IRS supervisory special agent, revealed himself as one of the whistleblowers in May. The other witness, thus far only known as Whistleblower X, is a criminal investigator with the IRS.
The hearing, scheduled for July 19, is open to the public and press and will be livestreamed online.
Both of the whistleblowers have provided documents that indicate the investigations into the Biden family had been stymied in some way. Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) on July 12 called the hearing an opportunity to give the American people transparency and accountability.
“Since taking the gavel in January, the Committee on Oversight and Accountability has made rapid progress in our investigation into the Biden family’s domestic and international business dealings to determine whether these activities compromise U.S. national security and President [Joe] Biden’s ability to lead with impartiality,” he stated.
“From the thousands of financial records we’ve obtained, we know the Biden family set up over 20 shell companies, engaged in intentionally complicated financial transactions with foreign adversaries, and made a concerted effort to hide the payments and avoid scrutiny,” Mr. Comer said.
The House Ways and Means Committee also has been investigating the Bidens’ alleged financial dealings, and last month released transcripts of 14 hours of testimony, revealing among many things that Hunter Biden reportedly had an excess of $17 million from Ukraine, China, and Russia.
“Additionally, these whistleblowers provided information about how the Justice Department refused to follow evidence that implicated Joe Biden, tipped off Hunter Biden’s attorneys, allowed the clock to run out with respect to certain charges, and put Hunter Biden on the path to a sweetheart plea deal,” Mr. Comer stated. “Americans are rightfully angry about this two-tiered system of justice that seemingly allows the Biden family to operate above the law.”
Interference?
The whistleblowers had in their testimony to the House Ways and Means Committee said the Justice Department and IRS used a number of tactics to delay investigations into Hunter Biden’s tax fraud, including denying requests by the U.S. Attorney to bring charges, letting the clock run out to reach the statute of limitations, and sharing sensitive actions of the investigators to the younger Mr. Biden’s attorneys.
The transcript from the first whistleblower, Mr. Shapley, can be viewed here (pdf). The testimony from the second whistleblower can be viewed here (pdf). The testimonies were given in a closed-door hearing, and the testimonies were made public after a vote. All Democrats on the committee voted against the release.
The whistleblowers reported facing “almost immediate retaliation” after coming forward, including being passed over for a promotion and being removed from the investigation of the president’s son.
Attorney General Merrick Garland has rejected claims that federal agencies interfered with the investigation.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland delivers remarks during a meeting with U.S. attorneys at the Justice Department in Washington on June 14, 2023. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)U.S. Attorney David Weiss, who was named in the testimonies, also refuted claims that he was denied authority to bring charges.
In a press conference after the House Ways and Means Committee hearing, Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-Mo.) said that the government wasn’t treating all taxpayers equally, giving the younger Mr. Biden a “slap on the wrist” and “soft glove treatment” even after evidence came to light.
In one case, Mr. Biden’s attorneys were made aware that the IRS knew about documents stored in a Northern Virginia storage unit, giving the attorneys time to remove the documents.
In another case, investigators authenticated WeChat messages in which Mr. Biden demanded payment from Chinese business partners, using his father’s name and position as leverage in the exchanges.
FBI’s 2-Day Interview With Alleged Whistleblower
On July 12, Mr. Comer also requested the FBI share an unredacted copy of the report from a two-day interview in 2019 with Gal Luft, another alleged whistleblower in the investigations into the Biden family.
House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) speaks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on June 20, 2023, in a still from video released by NTD. (NTD)Mr. Luft, a think tank director, had previously served in an advisory role to CEFC China Energy, and gave the FBI inside information on the company’s dealings with the Biden family, including giving large sums to Hunter Biden and his uncle in monthly payments, in exchange for use of the Biden name.
On July 10, Mr. Luft was charged with eight counts, including making false statements to federal agents during the 2019 interview. The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability had planned to interview him as a witness, but Mr. Luft was arrested in February and then fled when released on bail. He claims the information he gave the FBI was on par with what was released after the laptop allegedly belonging to the president’s son came to light.
“To be clear, the Committee takes no position regarding the federal charges against Luft. Instead, the Committee requests narrowly tailored information he allegedly provided the DOJ and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in March 2019 regarding his interactions with the Chinese company, CEFC,” Mr. Comer wrote.
“Any criticism of Luft reflects the type of people who partnered with CEFC and accepted money from the corrupt Chinese company—this includes the Biden family. It would be negligent for the Committee not to attempt to speak with a cooperator directly involved with CEFC.”
