Republicans push for more evidence in Hunter Biden investigation: 'Good for the country'
Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., on lawmakers demanding more from the ongoing investigation into Hunter Biden.
The FBI has told a former supervisory agent investigating Hunter Biden that he was expected to not answer certain questions from the House Oversight Committee concerning the case.
The message was relayed in a redacted letter from FBI general counsel Jason Jones the night before the agent was expected to testify.
In the letter, obtained by the New York Post, Jones tells the former agent that the FBI "expects that you will decline to respond to questions seeking non-public information likely covered by one or more components of executive privilege or other significant confidentiality interests, in particular information about deliberations or ongoing investigative activity in law enforcement matters."
Hunter Biden disembarks Air Force One at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse, New York, on Feb. 4, 2023. (Reuters / Elizabeth Frantz)
Jones advised the former agent to direct such questions to the FBI’s Office of Congressional Affairs.
The FBI lawyer alluded to the "ongoing" case concerning the president’s son, saying the committee was interested in "certain events that took place in December 2020 as part of this investigation."
Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to federal charges last month after a year-long investigation into his tax affairs. That investigation began amid the discovery of suspicious activity reports (SARs) regarding funds from "China and other foreign nations."
FORMER FBI AGENT CONFIRMS KEY DETAILS OF HUNTER BIDEN WHISTLEBLOWER'S TESTIMONY, GOP SAYS
As first reported in 2020, the FBI subpoenaed a laptop and hard drive purportedly belonging to Hunter Biden in connection with a money-laundering investigation in late 2019.
In December 2020, weeks after the 2020 presidential election, Biden publicly acknowledged he was under investigation related to his taxes. At the time, Biden said he took the matter "very seriously" and was "confident that a professional and objective review of these matters will demonstrate that I handled my affairs legally and appropriately, including with the benefit of professional tax advisers."
Hunter Biden visits Carlingford Castle during his trip to Ireland on April 12, 2023. (Brian Lawless / PA Images via Getty Images)
Republicans on the House Oversight Committee on Monday said the former supervisory agent in Jones’ letter confirmed key portions of a whistleblower’s testimony concerning alleged political interference by the Biden administration into the investigation.
Committee Chair Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., said the DOJ’s alleged "efforts to cover up for the Bidens" showed there was "a two-tiered system of justice" and that the committee would "seek the answers, transparency and accountability that the American people demand and deserve."
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FBI Director Christopher Wray insisted last week that the bureau was "absolutely not" protecting the Biden family amid allegations the probe was influenced by politics.
The FBI told Fox News Digital that it "is longstanding practice for employees and former employees to receive general guidance when called to testify on FBI matters."
Fox News’ Brooke Singman and Brandon Gillespie contributed to this report.
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