The Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project filed a lawsuit in Delaware federal court against the Department of Justice (DOJ) in connection to Hunter Biden’s case, Fox News reported Thursday.
The Oversight Project demands the release of records that could reveal whether Biden should face further investigation under the Mann Act, a 1910 law focusing on “prostitution or debauchery.” This action follows recent findings where Biden was convicted on gun charges in Wilmington, the same location where the current case is being petitioned, according to Fox News.
DOJ concealing info on probe into whether Hunter Biden violated ‘debauchery’ law, watchdog says https://t.co/AVTvHFSJOy
— Fox News Politics (@foxnewspolitics) June 20, 2024
The Mann Act, originally established to combat prostitution, makes it a felony to knowingly transport any woman or girl across state or international lines for the purposes of prostitution or debauchery, the outlet reported. The Oversight Project’s lawsuit is spurred by claims from IRS whistleblower Joseph Ziegler during a 2023 House Ways & Means Committee interview, where he discussed the DOJ‘s evaluation of potential Mann Act violations involving Biden.
Ziegler’s testimony highlighted Biden’s association with an individual on the West Coast, believed to be involved in the prostitution sector, from whom Biden allegedly deducted travel expenses. This raised questions about whether Biden facilitated the transport of individuals across state lines for illicit purposes, Fox News reported. (RELATED: Biden Reveals If He Will Commute Hunter’s Sentence In First Comments Since Verdict)
The seal of the US Department of Justice in Washington, DC on March 21, 2024. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Attorney Kyle Brosnan of the Oversight Project expressed in an interview with Fox News Digital that there is substantial evidence suggesting these records exist.
“If you sort of peel back the layers of the onion, it’s absurd, because there is an overwhelming amount of information that already shows these records exist. [They’re] found on the Hunter Biden laptop, which was entered into evidence in his criminal case in Delaware,” Brosnan told Fox News Digital.
Despite these allegations, the DOJ has provided a “Glomar response” to inquiries, a legal stance where an agency may refuse to confirm or deny the existence of requested information, justifying an exception to usual transparency obligations, according to Fox News.
