Hunter Biden probe purge may be unprecedented, ex-IRS criminal chief says
New York PostMay 16, 2023
Report: IRS Removes Entire Team Probing Hunter Biden's Tax Returns
Image copyright: AP [via USA Today]
The Facts
Attorneys for an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) whistleblower — who recently alleged a cover-up in the long-running tax fraud probe of Hunter Biden — told Congress on Monday that the entire investigative team have been removed from the case at the request of the Dept. of Justice.
Lawyers for the anonymous agent last month claimed that "conflicts of interest" had led to "preferential treatment and politics improperly infecting decisions and protocols." The lawyers added that the agent could provide information that would "contradict sworn testimony to Congress by a senior political appointee."
The Spin
Republican narrative
The IRS has never pulled an entire investigation team off of a case until this week, giving weight to this reported retaliation against the whistleblower. If claims that the Biden admin. is hindering efforts to charge son Hunter are confirmed, it will reveal that the federal government has been weaponized at an unprecedented level. This claim must be taken seriously.
Democratic narrative
Republicans have long been trying to use Hunter's foreign work and personal life to implicate Pres. Biden so as to threaten his reelection. While some FBI and IRS agents have indeed criticized how the Justice Dept. is handling the investigation, no strong evidence of political interference has so far been presented.
Nerd narrative
There's a 37% chance that Hunter Biden be indicted before November 5, 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
