The New York Times confirmed on Tuesday the accuracy of IRS whistleblower testimony claiming U.S. Attorney David Weiss was blocked from bringing charges against Hunter Biden in California.
In the 21st paragraph of its story about the testimony from two IRS whistleblowers, the Times independently confirmed that Weiss’ request for California prosecutors to pursue charges against Biden was rejected. (RELATED: IRS Whistleblower Confirms FBI Knew Hunter’s Laptop Was Real In 2019)
NYT buries in the 21st paragraph that it has an independent source who confirms the two IRS whistleblowers’ claim that David Weiss said he was blocked from bringing charges against Hunter Biden in California. https://t.co/nH55AVQAJq pic.twitter.com/wSPKT4aiMG
— Chuck Ross (@ChuckRossDC) June 27, 2023
IRS whistleblower Gary Shapley’s testimony released Thursday by the House Ways and Means Committee accused DOJ prosecutors of slow-walking the investigations into Biden. Shapley said Weiss attempted to bring tax charges against Hunter Biden in California for 2016-19, which required support from the Central District of California.
“Around this time, there began to be discussions of the fact that the remaining tax years, 2016, ’17, ’18 and ’19, needed to be brought in the Central District of California,” Shapley stated. “Prosecutors stated that they presented the case to the Central District of California in mid-September. That happened to correspond with the confirmation of the President Biden appointee to the United States attorney, Martin Estrada.”
Weiss said in Oct. 2022 that he would have to request special counsel authority to investigate Biden if charges were not brought in California. His initial request for special counsel authority was denied by the Department of Justice.
“In January of this year, I learned United States Attorney Estrada had declined to bring the charges in the Central District of California. For all intents and purposes, the case was dead, with the exception of one gun charge that could be brought in Delaware,” Shapley said.
Shapley’s testimony confirmed the FBI knew Hunter Biden’s laptop was real in 2019 and showed that Attorney General Merrick Garland appeared to lie under oath about the Hunter Biden investigation. The probe into Biden is still ongoing, Weiss said shortly after Biden was charged on June 20.
The first son was charged with felony gun possession and two misdemeanors for failing to pay taxes. He is expected to plead guilty to the charges and avoid jail time.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to reflect recent developments in Hunter Biden’s plea deal.