WASHINGTON — Attorney General Merrick Garland pushed again Friday towards claims from IRS whistleblowers that the Justice Department interfered with the investigation into Hunter Biden, saying extra broadly that assaults on the division’s independence are corrosive.
The Republican-led House Ways and Means Committee on Thursday launched a transcript of testimony from Gary Shapley, an IRS official who, amongst different issues, claimed that Garland had denied a request from U.S. Attorney David Weiss of Delaware to be appointed particular counsel. That designation would have would have given Weiss the identical standing because the prosecutor main the investigation into former President Donald Trump.
Weiss by no means made such a request, Garland stated Friday, and all the time had full authority to file fees wherever and nevertheless he noticed match towards President Joe Biden’s son. And Garland added that if Weiss – first appointed U.S. Attorney by Donald Trump – agrees to testify earlier than Congress, the Justice Department is not going to stand in the way in which.
“He was given complete authority to make all decisions on his own,” Garland stated. “I don’t know how it would be possible for anybody to block him for bringing a prosecution given that he has that authority.”
More broadly, Garland forcefully rebutted criticism from Republicans {that a} plea settlement for the president’s son on tax and gun fees made public this week displays political affect within the American justice system. Republicans have denounced the deal as proof of a “two-tiered system of justice.”
“Some have chosen to attack the integrity of the Justice Department … by claiming we do not treat like cases alike. This constitutes an attack on an institution that is essential to American democracy and essential to the safety of the American people,” Garland stated. “Nothing could be further from the truth.”
In a separate assertion Friday, Biden’s lawyer denounced the concept the investigation minimize any corners, and stated it could be “dangerously misleading” to make conclusions based mostly on the Shapley transcript.
The transcript included a message Hunter despatched to a enterprise affiliate alluding to “sitting with his father,” seemingly suggesting that his father was conscious of his enterprise dealings. Shapley acknowledged the investigation didn’t flip up proof to show that, as a substitute discovering that it was seemingly unfaithful.
Joe Biden has stated he’s by no means spoken to his son about his international enterprise. Asked Friday if the president stands by these feedback, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre replied: “What I will say is nothing has changed. Nothing has changed, and I will leave it there.”
Weiss’ workplace referred request for remark concerning the whistleblower testimony to a June 7 letter he wrote to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan saying he had “ultimate authority” over the investigation.
The testimony from IRS agent Shapley and a second unnamed agent who labored on the case detailed what they known as a sample of “slow-walking investigative steps” and delaying enforcement actions within the Hunter Biden case, although it was unclear whether or not the battle they described amounted to inner disagreement or a sample of preferential remedy.
Shapley stated Weiss advised him and others throughout an October 2022 assembly that he had been denied particular counsel standing. Transcripts launched Thursday embrace an electronic mail with Shapley’s notes from the assembly, and a response from a supervisor saying his notes “covered it all.”
Biden’s lawyer, for his half, stated claims the investigation wasn’t thorough are “preposterous and deeply irresponsible.”
The Hunter Biden plea deal got here days after the particular counsel on the Trump case filed a historic 37-count indictment alleging mishandling of labeled paperwork, which the previous president has denied. Trump has likened the Hunter Biden settlement to a “mere traffic ticket.”
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Associated Press writers Farnoush Amiri and Aamer Madhani contributed to this report.
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