Six witnesses can reportedly back up claims that the federal prosecutor investigating Hunter Biden lacked the full authority to prosecute the First Son outside of Delaware, contradicting testimony stating otherwise from Attorney General Merrick Garland.
U.S. Attorney David Weiss reportedly told six witnesses in 2022 that he was unable to prosecute Hunter Biden outside of Delaware because he was denied special counsel status, IRS whistleblower Gary Shapely told the House Ways and Means committee in May.
Statement from IRS Agent Gary Shapley’s legal team: “In an October 7, 2022, meeting at the Delaware U.S. Attorney’s Office, U.S. Attorney David Weiss told six witnesses he did not have authority to charge in other districts and had thus requested special counsel status. Those six… pic.twitter.com/hMKhCQfDo6
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Shapely testified that Weiss announced he was “not the deciding official” on whether charges were filed against Hunter Biden and that DC US Attorney Matthew Graves refused to allow charges to be brought against the First Son in his district. That, according to Shapely, meant that Biden would not be prosecuted for tax charges related to “foreign income from Burisma [Holdings] and a scheme to evade his income taxes through a partnership with a convicted felon” in 2014 and 2015. (RELATED: Whistleblowers Claim IRS Recommended More Charges Against Hunter Biden)
Calling it a “red-line” moment for him, Shapely said the Oct. 7, 2022 meeting included only senior-level managers from IRS CI, FBI, and the Delaware U.S. Attorney’s Office when Weiss also revealed the U.S District Attorney for the Central District of California — where Hunter Biden would have filed the tax returns in question — also refused to assist with charges against the president’s son.
This revelation contradicts Garland’s testimony, which stated that Weiss, a Trump administration appointee, was at liberty to criminally charge Hunter Biden in whatever jurisdiction he deemed appropriate.
“He is the supervisor of this investigation,” Garland said of Weiss, telling Republican Tennessee Sen. Bill Hagerty in April 2022, “we put the investigation in the hands of a Trump appointee from the previous administration, who is the US attorney for the district of Delaware, and … you have me as the attorney general, who is committed to the independence of the Justice Department from any influence from the White House in criminal matters,” the New York Post reported.
Since federal law requires special counsel status to bring charges against a suspect in other jurisdictions without the approval and permission of other federal attorneys, Garland was pressed in March 2023 over Weiss’ authority.
“The US attorney in Delaware has been advised that he has full authority to make those kind of referrals that you’re talking about or to bring cases in other jurisdictions if he feels it’s necessary. And I will assure that if he does, he will be able to do that,” Garland stated, according to the New York Post.