Republicans investigating allegations of politicization in the Justice Department’s investigation into Hunter Biden plan to scrutinize two top prosecutors at the center of their case.
A source familiar confirmed that two top DOJ prosecutors – U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada for the Central District of California and Stuart Goldberg of the Tax Division – are sitting down with House Judiciary Committee staff this week for transcribed interviews at the Hunter Biden -research.
The expected new testimony comes after IRS whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler testified under oath that Hunter Biden received “special” treatment in the investigation into his financial dealings.
They said Hunter’s tax bills should have been a crime pursued in both California and Washington, D.C., but that political pressure instead led to the first son’s “sweetheart deal.” Hunter’s plea deal ended in court not long after.
Estrada is Biden’s chief prosecutor in the California district. The whistleblowers claimed that tax fraud charges should have been filed against Hunter, but they were not.
U.S. Attorney Weiss will be questioned behind closed doors in Congress on November 7
Martin Estrada is an American attorney serving as the United States Attorney for the Central District of California since September 2022
Hunter Biden stood in court in September to plead not guilty to three felonies related to lying on a federal gun application form while under the influence of drugs
DailyMail.com also confirmed last week that U.S. Attorney David Weiss of Delaware will be questioned behind closed doors in Congress on November 7.
Weiss – the lead investigator into Hunter Biden’s gun and tax crimes – was appointed special counsel in August after the whistleblowers came forward.
Weiss charged Hunter last month with three felonies related to lying on a federal gun application form while under the influence of drugs. He faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison and has pleaded not guilty.
The new not guilty plea comes after what Republicans called a “sweetheart” plea deal — which would have seen Joe Biden’s son avoid jail time — collapsed this summer.
Republicans, including Jordan, have pointed to discrepancies between Attorney General Merrick Garland’s and U.S. Attorney Weiss’ public statements on the Hunter Biden case and who had “full authority” to charge the president’s son.
Ziegler and Shapley testified that Weiss asked DC U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves to file “crimes and misdemeanors” charges against the president’s son.
But after Graves declined, Weiss threw out the possible misdemeanor charge and struck a plea deal with the president’s son that included no jail time. Hunter is expected in court Wednesday to make the plea deal official.
“I watched as U.S. Attorney (David) Weiss told a room full of senior FBI and IRS leaders on October 7, 2022 that he was not the final decision on whether charges were filed,” Shapley said, contradicting Weiss’ previous public statements.
“If Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss had followed DOJ policy as he stated in his most recent letter, Hunter Biden should have been charged with a tax crime, not just the tax crime,” Ziegler said.
“We must treat every taxpayer the same under the law.”
Graves has denied allegations that he contributed to improper political interference during the federal investigation into Hunter Biden.
According to a transcript reviewed by DailyMail.com, Graves said he was “surprised” by the whistleblowers’ claim that his office blocked a request by Weiss to file charges against Hunter.
The allegations were “not consistent with my recollection,” Graves told congressional investigators on Oct. 3.
House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan will question Weiss behind closed doors in November
Weiss also sent a letter to the House Judiciary Committee seeking to clarify his role in the investigation and emphasizing that he actually has the “ultimate authority” in the criminal gun and tax case against the president’s son.
He explained that as the U.S. attorney for Delaware, his charging authority is normally “geographically limited” to that district, but said Attorney General Merrick Garland had promised to grant him special attorney status to bring charges anywhere.
However, Garland said Weiss was free “to make a decision to prosecute in any way he wanted and in any district in which he wanted to.”
DOJ attempted to clarify the discrepancies in the letter to Jordan.
“Although testimony at this early juncture should be appropriately limited to protect the ongoing case and important confidentiality interests, the Department recognizes your stated interest in addressing aspects of this case at short notice, such as the authority and jurisdiction of the U.S. Attorney Weiss to press charges anywhere. he deems appropriate.’