In a significant development surrounding the federal investigation into Hunter Biden, The New York Times has independently verified one of the crucial assertions made by Gary Shapley, an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) whistleblower. Shapley’s allegations have sparked fresh concerns about the handling of the case.
Gary Shapley, who served as the lead IRS official on the Biden investigation, testified that U.S. Attorney David C. Weiss, the chief prosecutor from the Department of Justice, encountered resistance from federal prosecutors based in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles. Shapley claimed that Weiss sought to press charges against Hunter Biden for tax-related offenses committed in 2014 and 2015 within those jurisdictions.
Here’s what the New York Times wrote:
But in mid-2022, Mr. Weiss reached out to the top federal prosecutor in Washington, Matthew Graves, to ask his office to pursue charges and was rebuffed, according to Mr. Shapley’s testimony.
A similar request to prosecutors in the Central District of California, which includes Los Angeles, was also rejected, Mr. Shapley testified. A second former I.R.S. official, who has not been identified, told House Republicans the same story. That episode was confirmed independently to The New York Times by a person with knowledge of the situation.
The explosive allegations made by the whistleblower have raised serious doubts about the extent of U.S. Attorney David C. Weiss’s authority and decision-making power in the federal investigation of Hunter Biden. The whistleblower, Gary Shapley, has contended that Weiss explicitly stated he would not be the final decision-maker regarding the potential charges against the president’s son. Furthermore, Shapley alleges that Weiss was denied special counsel status, which would have allowed him to pursue charges in jurisdictions beyond his own in Delaware.
These revelations sharply contrast with Attorney General Merrick Garland’s testimony, in which he maintained that Weiss possessed complete autonomy in the case. Garland assured Senator Chuck Grassley that Weiss would have the ability to bring charges outside of Delaware. However, Shapley’s claims directly contradicts this assertion.
In a recent letter addressed to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, Weiss himself affirmed that he maintains “ultimate authority” over the investigation. This contradictory statement further deepens the confusion surrounding the circumstances and dynamics of the case.
Last week, Weiss reached a deal with Hunter Biden, resulting in a guilty plea for tax crimes committed in 2017 and 2018. Biden also admitted to the facts of a felony gun charge, ultimately avoiding imprisonment. Critics have criticized this agreement, labeling it a “sweetheart” deal and alleging that it is part of a broader effort to shield the Biden family from legal repercussions.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
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No! It can’t be! The president and his son are as clean and white and pure as snow!
Wait, was that a racist comment?
The rest of the NYT story not quoted.
But it remains unclear how much of the difference in the accounts reflects possible factors like miscommunication, clashing substantive judgments among agencies over how best to pursue a prosecution, or personal enmity among officials working on a high-pressure, high-profile case. Investigators like Mr. Shapley whose job it is to uncover evidence often have different perspectives from prosecutors who have to take into account how to treat defendants fairly and present cases to juries.
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