Democrats declare the GOP is withholding proof contradicting claims in Hunter Biden probe

House Democrats are demanding the discharge of a transcript from a brand new FBI witness that they are saying contradicts Republicans’ claims within the increasing congressional inquiry into President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden.

Rep. Jamie Raskin, the highest Democrat on House Oversight Committee, despatched a letter Friday to Rep. James Comer, the Republican chair of the committee, asking him to provide the transcribed interview this month with an FBI agent who labored on the investigation into the youthful Biden’s taxes and international enterprise dealings. The witness was interviewed on July 17.

“This failure to release a transcript is the latest in your troubling pattern of concealing key evidence in order to advance a false and distorted narrative about your ‘investigation of Joe Biden’ that has not only failed to develop any evidence of wrongdoing by President Biden but has, in fact, uncovered substantial evidence to the contrary,” Raskin wrote within the letter, which was obtained by The Associated Press.

The Maryland lawmaker claimed the closed-door interview with the unidentified agent performed by committee workers “directly undermined” testimony launched by Republicans final month from two IRS whistleblowers who allege that the Justice Department interfered with their yearslong investigation into Hunter Biden.

Republicans stated the transcript will probably be launched however shouldn’t be but prepared. “The transcript is going through the normal review process where the witness reviews it and makes any corrections needed,” the GOP majority tweeted Thursday evening. “Once that process has been completed, we will release it.”

House guidelines enable solely the bulk get together to launch transcribed interviews from a committee investigation, which means minority Democrats haven’t any direct energy over the matter.

Raskin says within the letter that it’s uncommon for the discharge of a transcript to take this lengthy. However, it’s not uncommon for committee workers to deal with whistleblowers cautiously and preserve delicate data tightly held.

The letter from Raskin comes days after Hunter Biden’s plea deal in a prison case unraveled throughout a courtroom listening to. A federal choose within the case raised issues concerning the phrases of the settlement. Republicans like Comer claimed vindication, having slammed the settlement as a “sweetheart deal.”

“The judge did the obvious thing, they put a pause on the plea deal, so I think that was progress,” Comer stated Wednesday. “I think it adds credibility to what we’re doing.”

The president’s youngest son was charged final month with two misdemeanor crimes of failure to pay greater than $100,000 in taxes on over $1.5 million in earnings in each 2017 and 2018. He had been anticipated to plead responsible Wednesday after he made an settlement with prosecutors, who needed two years of probation.