House Republicans are poised to release documents this week detailing allegations by whistleblowers from the Internal Revenue Service that the Justice Department slow-walked its investigation into Hunter Biden, following the plea deal announced Tuesday between the first son and the DOJ regarding his tax crimes.
"If the federal government is not treating all taxpayers equally, Congress has a duty to hold agencies accountable by providing transparency and bringing new facts to light," House Republicans on the Ways and Means Committee said in a statement. The committee is scheduled to meet Thursday and discuss the whistleblowers' testimony.
The committee added that "during Thursday’s session we will follow where the facts lead and will release the appropriate details afterward." Biden on Tuesday agreed to plead guilty to misdemeanor tax crimes, dodging prison time and likely bringing to an end a five-year federal investigation.
The documents surround two IRS whistleblowers who came forward about the agency's probe into Biden's taxes.
The first whistleblower, a supervisory special agent named Gary Shapley, asked for whistleblower protections in April to discuss bombshell claims that the Biden administration showed "preferential treatment" toward Biden and held back in the investigation. He alleged that Attorney General Merrick Garland gave misleading testimony in March when he said that the U.S. attorney in Delaware, who has been in charge of the Biden probe since 2018, has been allowed to proceed without influence.
After coming forward, the whistleblower and his entire team were taken off the Biden probe. Shapley gave the House committee about six hours of testimony about his allegations.
The second whistleblower came forward in May claiming to have faced retaliation for raising concerns about the agency's investigation. The second whistleblower, as yet unidentified, has sat for a deposition with Congress.