A Biden-appointed prosecutor is being accused of retaliating against a subordinate working on the Hunter Biden investigation, the New York Post reports.
U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Jacqueline Romero allegedly retaliated against Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Hines after he joined the Hunter Biden case, three sources told the Post. (RELATED: Ex-Joe Biden Associate Says He Loaned James Biden $800,000 And Only Got Half The Money Back)
Hines joined now-special counsel David Weiss’ case prior to any indictments being leveled against the first son, according to the outlet. Romero approved the move, but allegedly expressed her belief that Hunter Biden should not face charges and mentioned her ties to the late Beau Biden, a former assistant U.S. attorney in the Philadelphia office, the Post reported.
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 10: Hunter Biden (L), son of U.S. President Joe Biden, with lawyer Abbe Lowell departs a House Oversight Committee meeting on January 10, 2024 in Washington, DC. The committee is meeting today as it considers citing him for contempt of Congress. (Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
Romero’s office then allegedly restricted Hines’ access to his downtown office, where employees need ID cards to enter, the three sources told the Post. Hines is still employed by the Philadelphia U.S. Attorney’s Office while he works for Weiss, and one current employee told the Post that “he has to go up and sign in like any other visitor” when he shows up to the office building.
A spokesperson for Romero’s office denied the allegations in response to the Daily Caller’s request for comment.
“The representations about AUSA Hines’ detail are inaccurate. U.S. Attorney Romero never discouraged Derek Hines from accepting the detail. In fact, she did support, authorize, and sign off on his detail,” the spokesperson said, referring to the Biden case.
“Members of this office had relationships with Beau Biden, as colleagues, friends, and supervisors, when he was an Assistant U.S. Attorney here,” the spokesperson continued. “USA Romero does not have a relationship with the Biden family and didn’t express any view on the merits of the Hunter Biden investigation.”
Another source told the outlet that Romero’s deputy, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Nelson Thayer, informed colleagues that Hines is “banned” from the office. A different source was unaware of Thayer’s declaration but told the Post it would not be surprising.
“AUSA Thayer did not communicate to colleagues that AUSA Hines was ‘banned’ from the office, and AUSA Hines’ office was not taken away. It sits untouched, awaiting his return. When his detail is concluded, the office looks forward to him resuming his duties here as an Assistant U.S. Attorney,” the spokesperson said regarding the Thayer allegations.
President Joe Biden nominated Romero for her position in April 2022 and she was sworn in on June 21, 2022. She had been a prosecutor in the office for 16 years before becoming the Philadelphia U.S. attorney.
Hunter Biden is facing three federal gun charges in Delaware and nine federal tax charges in California as a result of Weiss’ criminal investigation. The first son has pleaded not guilty to both sets of criminal charges.
Weiss, the U.S. attorney for Delaware, added Hines and Baltimore Assistant U.S. Attorney Leo Wise to his team in June before a plea deal between Hunter Biden and Weiss’ office fell through.
The two prosecutors replaced Delaware Assistant U.S. Attorney Lesley Wolf after IRS whistleblowers Joseph Ziegler and Gary Shapley accused Wolf of protecting Joe and Hunter Biden by slow-walking and obstructing investigative steps during her time on the Hunter Biden case.
Wolf left the DOJ in the wake of the IRS whistleblower allegations and refused to answer specific questions about the allegations when she testified in December, according to a transcript reviewed by the Caller. She now holds a position at a corporate law firm.
Romero is not the only Biden-appointed U.S. attorney to come under scrutiny from the IRS whistleblowers and congressional investigators probing the DOJ’s handling of the Hunter Biden investigation.
WASHINGTON, DC – DECEMBER 05: Internal Revenue Service Supervisory Special Agent Gary Shapley (L) and IRS Criminal Investigator Joseph Ziegler (R), who both worked on the federal investigation into Hunter Biden, testify before the House Ways and Means Committee in the Longworth House Office Building on December 5, 2023 in Washington, DC. The Ways and Means Committee is hearing testimony from Internal Revenue whistleblowers Service Supervisory Special Agent Gary Shapley and IRS Criminal Investigator Joseph Ziegler, who both claim they were blocked from pursuing leads that would lead to more serious charges during their five-year investigation into Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden’s son. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
D.C. U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves and Los Angeles U.S. Attorney E. Martin Estrada both declined to partner with Weiss on potentially prosecuting Hunter Biden in their respective districts prior to Weiss’ special counsel appointment. Graves and Estrada’s conduct was first brought to light by the IRS whistleblowers and confirmed by testimony from all three DOJ officials, according to transcripts reviewed by the Caller.
House Republicans are looking into the DOJ’s handling of the Hunter Biden investigation as part of the impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. While testifying in September, Attorney General Merrick Garland defended the integrity of the Hunter Biden investigation.
GOP lawmakers published a report in December describing how testimony from Weiss, Graves, Estrada, Wolf and additional DOJ, FBI and IRS officials confirmed the IRS whistleblower allegations. Romero’s alleged retaliation could become another aspect of the impeachment inquiry.
“The House Committees on Oversight and Accountability, Judiciary, and Ways and Means will continue to investigate the Department of Justice’s misconduct in the Hunter Biden criminal investigation and will hold bad actors accountable,” House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer told the Post.
Hunter Biden is set to appear for a closed-door deposition on Feb. 28.
This article has been updated to add the spokesperson’s comment.