Special counsel David Weiss acknowledged that the statute of limitations had expired because Hunter Biden failed to pay taxes on $1 million in income from the Ukrainian company Burisma between 2014 and 2015.
But he said evidence collected during the investigation could still be used in future prosecutions against him.
Weiss spoke to congressional investigators Tuesday as he investigated the president’s son for gun and tax crimes.
The special counsel decided to testify behind closed doors because of persistent speculation and accusations from IRS whistleblowers that the Hunter investigation has been politicized, which he has denied.
When asked about Hunter’s failure to pay taxes on more than $1 million from Burisma in 2014 and 2015, Weiss told investigators he could not comment on it because it relates to “ongoing litigation and our ongoing research’.
“I’m just not at liberty to comment at this time, but there will come a time,” Weiss said, according to the transcript reviewed by DailyMail.com.
“Even though the statute of limitations has expired?” Weiss was asked.
“Yes, yes,” Weiss said.
Special counsel David Weiss acknowledged that the statute of limitations had expired because Hunter Biden failed to pay taxes on $1 million in income from the Ukrainian company Burisma between 2014 and 2015.
‘When is the right time to address why the statute of limitations was allowed to expire?’ Then Weiss was asked.
“I will address it in the report, but even though the statute of limitations has expired and even though no charges will be filed, if there were an outstanding tax prosecution, there is no reason to believe that evidence relating to prior years, or witnesses involved in prior years, would not be part of that trial.”
Weiss corroborated the testimony of IRS whistleblowers that the restrictions on the 2014 and 2015 tax crimes had been exhausted.
Shapley alleged that Hunter Biden separately failed to pay a $1.2 million tax bill from 2017 and 2018 — allegedly by borrowing money from his hookah-smoking Hollywood lawyer Kevin Morris to pay off the bill and help with bills for the family.
The Judiciary Committee is currently investigating whether DOJ officials delayed or obstructed the criminal investigation into Hunter Biden.
Asked about Hunter’s failure to pay taxes on more than $1 million from Burisma in 2014 and 2015, Weiss told investigators Thursday he could not comment on it because it relates to “pending litigation and our open investigation.” .
IRS whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler, who were previously assigned to the Hunter Biden investigation, previously testified that they recommended filing charges against the president’s son for tax violations but testified that Weiss was denied special counsel status and said he “wasn’t the deciding factor.” person’ to file charges in the case.
Hunter Biden served on the board of Burisma from 2013 to 2018 and earned more than $11 million from the company.
Emails from Hunter Biden’s laptop show he hosted a dinner at the swanky Café Milano with his father Joe and an executive from Ukrainian energy company Burisma, while Hunter was on its board. An email from the director thanked Hunter for the opportunity to meet with Joe, who was not in office at the time.
Weiss — the U.S. attorney for Delaware and lead prosecutor in the federal criminal investigation into Hunter — said he was prevented from filing charges against the president’s son at any point in his investigation, which began in 2018.
Weiss charged Hunter in September with three felonies related to lying on a federal gun application form while under the influence of drugs. He faces a prison sentence of up to 25 years.
The president’s son pleaded not guilty at his first hearing. The 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.
Over the summer, Shapley and Ziegler testified under oath that Hunter Biden received “special” treatment in the investigation into his financial dealings led by Weiss.
They said Hunter’s tax assessment should have been a crime, but political pressure instead led to the first son’s “love deal.”
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.