An IRS whistleblower is defending his claims that the U.S. attorney investigating Hunter Biden was blocked from bringing charges outside of Delaware and did not have full control of the case — which counters statements from multiple Justice Department officials.
IRS investigator Gary Shapley told multiple outlets this week that the president’s son received preferential treatment in a case probing his failure to pay taxes that resulted in a plea agreement earlier this month. If the agreement is approved by a judge, Biden will not face jail time.
Shapley has claimed the investigation was slow-walked by the office of U.S. Attorney for Delaware David Weiss, a Trump appointee.
“We have to make sure, as a special agent for IRS Criminal Investigation, that we treat every single person exactly the same,” Shapley told CBS News on Tuesday.
“And that just simply didn’t happen here.”
Shapley’s testimony, first given to the House Ways and Means Committee, has become a key basis for Republicans arguing the Justice Department improperly handled the case.
Biden has since paid back taxes on more than $200,000 of income tax for the 2017 and 2018 tax years. But Shapley contends some of the most serious tax misconduct took place beforehand, with Biden owing a total of $2.2 million in taxes from 2014 through 2019.
Shapely said he was told by Weiss’s office that the U.S. attorney was unable to bring charges in Washington, D.C., where Shapely said he believes they would have the strongest case.
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