In a recent revelation, a high-ranking official from the Justice Department confirmed that the ongoing investigation into President Biden's son, Hunter Biden, has been under "closer supervision" than most other cases.
This investigation also necessitates high-level approval for any charges to be brought forward.
Stuart Goldberg, the Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General, disclosed this information to the staff members of the House Judiciary Committee on October 25. According to a transcribed copy of his interview reviewed by The Post, Goldberg stated that the investigation into Hunter Biden was deemed a "significant" case, warranting closer scrutiny than other, more routine cases.
This testimony from Goldberg corroborates key details previously uncovered from interviews with officials linked to the investigation into the President's son. However, lawyers from the Justice Department prevented the senior official from delving into specifics about the "ongoing" case.
Two other tax officials from the Department of Justice, Mark Daly and Jack Morgan, have been prohibited by the department from communicating with the committee. Goldberg also mentioned that "sensitive" cases like Hunter Biden's require an "ultimate sign-off" at his level of the Justice Department. This statement contradicts the sworn congressional testimony from Attorney General Merrick Garland.
Goldberg further confirmed earlier testimonies from IRS whistleblowers that David Weiss, the now-special counsel who initiated the investigation into Hunter Biden while serving as Delaware's US attorney, required the approval of the DOJ's Tax Division to bring charges. IRS supervisory special agent Gary Shapley and special agent Joseph Ziegler testified in July before the House Oversight Committee that US attorneys appointed by President Biden declined to collaborate with Weiss on the case.
These US attorneys, Matthew Graves of Washington, DC, and Martin Estrada of Los Angeles, have since confirmed the whistleblowers' account in interviews with the House Judiciary Committee. Shapley and Ziegler also alleged in previous closed-door testimonies to the House Ways and Means Committee that the Justice Department hindered its extensive investigation into Hunter Biden's profitable foreign business ventures.
They claimed that federal prosecutors disregarded their recommendation to bring felony charges against the President's son for allegedly evading $2.2 million in tax payments over six years. They also alleged that these prosecutors discouraged them from pursuing lines of inquiry that would lead to the President.
Michael Batdorf, IRS Director of Field Operations, in a separate interview with the House Judiciary Committee, also confirmed the whistleblowers' account that DOJ tax officials opposed charging Hunter Biden during a June 2022 meeting.
Goldberg added in his testimony that if the Tax Division had declined to approve felony charges, Weiss would have had to appeal to the deputy attorney general's office. He noted that such an occurrence had only happened once in the past three years.
Goldberg is the first federal official interviewed by the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee to testify that Weiss would have also needed a so-called "515 letter" to file any charges on which Graves and Estrada refused to partner.
The "515 letter" refers to a federal law granting DOJ officials the right to "conduct any kind of legal proceeding, civil or criminal, including grand jury proceedings and proceedings before committing magistrate judges whether or not he is a resident of the district in which the proceeding is brought."
Both Garland and Weiss have maintained in statements and letters to Congress that the Delaware prosecutor had "ultimate authority" to pursue charges against Hunter Biden. Congressional Republicans have criticized the prosecutor for offering the first son a "sweetheart deal" in June, in which he would have received two years of probation after pleading guilty to tax misdemeanors.
On August 11, the attorney general elevated Weiss to special counsel status after the first son's plea deal on tax and gun charges fell through in federal court on July 26. This allowed the Delaware prosecutor to pursue another tax fraud indictment.
The following month, Weiss' office charged Hunter with three counts of lying about his crack cocaine use on a federal gun purchase form. The first son has pleaded not guilty and will face trial in 2024.
The Delaware prosecutor has so far refrained from bringing forward other charges that federal investigators discussed, including violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act, bribery, and sex trafficking.
House Republicans initiated an impeachment inquiry into the President on September 12 to determine whether he abused his office as Vice President and benefited from his son's foreign business entanglements.
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