GOP Senator Bill Hagery is calling for “political interference” by Biden’s Attorney General Merrick Garland and Hunter Biden Prosecutor David Weiss based on a series of recent conflicting statements by the two men.
U.S. Attorney Weiss has stated that his suing authority in the Hunter criminal case is limited to his home district of Delaware, contradicting Garland’s many public assurances that he can press charges in any district and has complete control of the case without influence of the DOJ leadership.
In addition, a new testimony from an IRS agent Gary Shapely and another whistleblower revealed that Weiss attempted to press charges against Hunter Biden in Washington, D.C., but was stopped by the district’s top federal prosecutor, Matthew Graves, a Biden appointee. Their testimony contradicts Garland’s statements that Weiss has full authority on the matter.
Hagerty, R-Tenn., told DailyMail.com in a statement Friday that the contradictions in statements by the top officials involved in the Hunter investigation reek of “political interference.”
U.S. attorney Weiss sent a letter to the House Judiciary Committee last week, insisting he has “ultimate authority” in the criminal gun and tax case against the president’s son, Hunter.
“Political interference by the president’s appointees in the criminal investigation of Biden is completely unacceptable, and rather than dodging the serious, mounting questions raised by this testimony, Garland and Weiss should testify before Congress as soon as possible Hagerty told DailyMail.com.
Weiss sent a letter to the House Judiciary Committee last week seeking to clarify his role in the investigation, stressing that he actually has “ultimate authority” in the criminal gun and tax case against the president’s son, Hunter.
Weiss explained that as the U.S. attorney for Delaware, his suing authority is normally “geographically limited” to that district — but said Attorney General Merrick Garland had promised to grant him special attorney status to press charges anywhere.
“As the U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware, my prosecution authority is geographically limited to my home district. If the location for a case is elsewhere, it is common practice for the department to contact the U.S. law firm for the district in question to determine whether it would like to collaborate on the case,” he wrote. “If not, I can apply for special prosecutor status with the Attorney General.”
However, Garland said last month that Weiss was free “to decide to prosecute in any way he wanted and in any district he wanted.”
And the Attorney General told Hagerty at a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing in April 2022 that the main Justice Department was not overseeing Weiss’s investigation into Hunter.
‘[Weiss] is in charge of that investigation. There will be no political or improper interference of any kind,” Garland said in response to Hagerty’s question.
“Prosecutor Weiss’s letter does not challenge the sworn testimony of two apolitical IRS investigators that he was not allowed to press charges against President Biden’s family, which contradicts Attorney General Garland’s statement to me at a Senate hearing.” in April 2022 that Weiss had full authority to investigate and press charges,” Hagerty said.
Over the weekend, an attorney for IRS whistleblower Shapley said Weiss didn’t actually have “full authority” to press charges, and had to “cooperate” with the “relevant U.S. attorney.”
The senator added in a statement to DailyMail.com that Weiss’s assurances to the House Judiciary Committee that he will not be blocked from charges in other districts are “completely hollow” if no further charges can be filed, pointing to how the Biden The Justice Department ran through the statute of limitations clock.
Weiss’s letter came just over a week after Hunter reached an agreement with the government to plead guilty to tax violations. The plea deal would also avoid prosecution on charges of illegal possession of firearms as a drug user, as long as Biden adheres to terms agreed upon in court.
“I have been given ultimate authority in this case, including the responsibility to decide where, when, and if charges should be brought,” Weiss wrote of his investigation into Hunter.
Garland said last month Weiss was free “to decide to prosecute in any way he wanted and in any district he wanted”
Hagerty, R-Tenn., told DailyMail.com in a statement Friday that the contradictions in statements from the top officials involved in the Hunter probe reek of “political interference.”
Republicans have criticized the settlement as a “sweetheart deal” for the president’s son and have demanded information about the plea deal.
Weiss also tried to address some of the internal charges concerns in the letter last week — led by R-Ohio Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan.
He denied claims that the Justice Department had “retaliated” against Shapley and another whistleblower who criticized his handling of the Hunter investigation in congressional testimony.
Hunter’s prosecution also rejected Jordan’s sweeping demands for documents and records related to interactions between the DOJ and IRS in the Hunter Biden case.
“I have an obligation to protect confidential law enforcement information and deliberative communications related to the matter. Therefore, at this time, I will not provide specific information related to the Hunter Biden investigation,” he wrote.