An IRS agent in charge of a long-running case involving Hunter Biden’s tax returns is seeking whistleblower status in order to speak to Congress about what he claims is political influence and unethical management of the matter by the Biden administration. A lawyer for the anonymous IRS criminal supervisory special agent wrote to Congress this week, saying the agent would like to provide legislators with information substantiating his charges of improper influence.
“Despite the serious risks of retaliation, my client is offering to provide you with information necessary to exercise your constitutional oversight function and wishes to make the disclosures in a non-partisan manner to the leadership of the relevant committees on both sides of the political aisle,” Mark D. Lytle wrote to top lawmakers on several House and Senate committees. According to the letter, the agent has already reported information to IRS officials that contradicts the sworn testimony of a “senior political appointee” and has also internally reported lapses that “involve failure to mitigate clear conflicts of interest in the ultimate disposition of the case.”
These revelations “detail examples of preferential treatment and politics improperly infecting decisions and protocols that would normally be followed by career law enforcement professionals in similar circumstances if the subject were not politically connected,” according to the letter. The letter, acquired by The Washington Post on Wednesday afternoon, did not name Hunter Biden, but did note that the agent “has been overseeing the ongoing and sensitive investigation of a high-profile, controversial subject since early 2020.” The subject of the letter was named Hunter Biden by the Wall Street Journal, which broke the story first.
Hunter Biden’s federal inquiry began in 2018, originally focusing on his funds tied to offshore business relationships and consulting activities. Over time, investigators became more focused on whether he had declared all of his income and whether he had misled on gun purchase papers in 2018, as previously reported by The Washington Post.
Hunter Biden and his legal team have been seeking finality in the FBI inquiry for months. He has paid over $1 million in overdue taxes to the IRS, thanks to a loan from Kevin Morris, an attorney, and close friend.
According to people familiar with the case, the Post reported in October that federal authorities had accumulated enough evidence to charge him with tax evasion and making a false statement about a weapons purchase. The case has remained unsolved, and the next step is for David Weiss, the United States Attorney for the District of Delaware and a Trump administration holdover, to decide whether to pursue charges. US Attorney General Merrick Garland has stated repeatedly that Weiss has extensive independence to direct the inquiry as he sees fit and should get all necessary support.
Lytle, a partner at the legal firm Nixon Peabody, did not respond to requests for comment right away. Hunter Biden’s lawyers did not immediately respond to the report. The White House declined to comment, directing all inquiries to the IRS and the Justice Department. A representative for the Department of Justice declined to comment.”My client wants to come forward to Congress,” Lytle stated on “CBS Evening News.” “He’s prepared to be questioned about what he knows and what he witnessed under the proper legal safeguards.”
Lytle told the network that his client believes the Hunter Biden probe was handled differently than any other in his employment at the IRS.” Political considerations influenced the decision for agents to conduct an investigation in the case.” “And those political considerations aren’t usually in the toolkit of a career investigator,” Lytle said. Lytle also stated that his client had been with the IRS for almost a decade and has paperwork to back up his assertions. “It really doesn’t come down to his credibility, whether you believe him or not,” Lytle explained. “Because the things he’s been through are very well documented in emails and other communications with the Department of Justice.”
Given the rigorous standards that govern any discussion of topics involving a specific taxpayer, the whistleblower protections could allow the IRS agent to speak more in depth about the case. Lytle refused to reveal who pays his client’s legal fees, telling CBS News, “I really don’t want to get into the specifics of his situation. “Rep. Jason T. Smith (R-Mo. ), chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, which oversees tax affairs, said the panel will try to meet with the agent as soon as possible.
“We appreciate this outreach and look forward to meeting with this individual as soon as possible to better understand the scope and specifics of the concerns raised,” Smith said in a statement. “The committee takes seriously any allegations of misconduct by government officials or offices and will investigate any concerns that are brought to our attention on behalf of American taxpayers.” “We will go where the facts lead and conduct a review of this matter in an appropriate and timely manner,” he added.
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