Biden pushes back against Hunter Biden controversy
Fox News White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich has the latest on the Hunter Biden investigation and the Supreme Court striking down Biden's student loan handout on 'Special Report.'
The Justice Department briefed federal prosecutors and agents on the team investigating Hunter Biden on a key FBI document containing allegations of a criminal bribery scheme involving Joe Biden in October 2020, but did not invite IRS agents to that briefing, Sen. Chuck Grassley charged.
That accusation was leveled just weeks after IRS whistleblowers alleged that the entire federal investigation into Hunter Biden's business dealings was influenced by politics.
The document in question is an FBI-generated FD-1023 form. The form, dated June 30, 2020, reflects the FBI's interview with a "highly credible" confidential source who detailed multiple meetings and conversations he or she had with a top executive of Ukrainian natural gas firm Burisma Holdings over the course of several years, starting in 2015.
Hunter Biden sat on the board of Burisma, and the executive alleged a $5 million payment was made to Hunter and $5 million to Joe Biden in exchange for influence over policy decisions.
GRASSLEY, GRAHAM DEMAND FBI TURN OVER KEY DOCUMENT LINKED TO BIDEN ALLEGATIONS
Sen. Chuck Grassley (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Grassley, R-Iowa, is now demanding answers from U.S. Attorney for Delaware David Weiss, who led the DOJ’s years-long investigation into Hunter Biden, on what steps were taken to investigate those allegations.
"Based on information provided to my office from individuals aware of the meeting on October 23, 2020, Justice Department and FBI Special Agents from the Pittsburgh Field Office briefed Assistant U.S. Attorney Lesley Wolf, one of your top prospectors, and FBI Special Agents from the Baltimore Field Office with respect to the contents of the FBI-generated FD-1023 form alleging a criminal bribery scheme involving then-Vice President Biden and Hunter Biden; however, the meeting did not include any IRS agents," Grassley wrote in a letter to Weiss.
Biden administration officials have rejected claims from IRS whistleblowers that the investigation into Hunter Biden has been politicized, and Attorney General Merrick Garland said Weiss was "given complete authority to make all decisions on his own behalf."
Grassley used his letter to press Weiss again on what steps have been taken to look into President Biden's son.
"Potentially hundreds of Justice Department and FBI officials have had access to the FD-1023 at issue, which begs the question that I’ve been asking since the start of my oversight in this matter: what steps have the Justice Department and FBI taken to investigate the allegations?" Grassley wrote. "You, Attorney General Garland, and Director Wray have failed to answer."
Hunter Biden on Tuesday, July 4, 2023. (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Grassley also highlighted IRS whistleblower Gary Shapley’s allegations against Assistant U.S. Attorney Lesely Wolf. Shapley claimed Wolf prevented investigators from seeking information about Joe Biden’s involvement in his son’s "criminal business arrangements" and said Wolf tried to "limit" questioning involving Joe Biden.
Shapley also alleged that Wolf admitted that there was "more than enough probable cause" to obtain a physical search warrant for Joe Biden’s guest house, but prevented it from being issued due to "optics." Wolf also allegedly tipped off Hunter Biden’s legal team ahead of a planned search of his storage unit.
David Weiss (Fox News screenshot)
"Did AUSA Wolf take similar proactive measures to frustrate any investigation into the FD-1023?" Grassley asked Weiss. "In light of AUSA Wolf’s alleged questionable and obstructive conduct during the course of your investigation, I’m seeking clarification from you with respect to your knowledge of these allegations and how you've handled them."
In the FD-1023, the Burisma executive alleged that he kept 17 audio recordings of his conversations with Joe Biden and Hunter Biden as an "insurance policy."
President Biden and son Hunter Biden (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Grassley gave Weiss until July 21 to provide information on what investigative steps were taken on the key allegations.
Former Attorney General Bill Barr last month revealed that the FD-1023 form had been routed to Weiss. Sources told Fox News Digital that Weiss' team was briefed on the FD-1023 form in September 2020.
Sources familiar told Fox News Digital that the confidential human source believes that the $5 million payment to Joe Biden and the $5 million payment to Hunter Biden occurred, based on his or her conversations with the Burisma executive.
Attorney General Merrick Garland (AP/Jose Luis Magana)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The Justice Department last month announced that the president’s son had entered a plea agreement that will likely keep him out of jail. Hunter Biden is set to plead guilty to two misdemeanor counts of willful failure to pay federal income tax, and to one charge of possession of a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance.
Hunter Biden is expected to make his first court appearance on July 26.
More from Politics
