Published 11:17 IST, April 22nd 2023
FBI notes ‘growing frustration’ over Hunter Biden's lack of criminal charges: Report
There is “growing frustration” within FBI about the amount of time prosecutors are spending weighing possible criminal charges against first son Hunter Biden.
- World News
- 3 min read
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is becoming increasingly impatient with the length of time prosecutors are taking to consider potential criminal charges against Hunter Biden, the United States' first son, for alleged tax evasion and falsifying drug use information on a gun application, according to a recent report.
The FBI's Baltimore office, which has been in charge of investigating Hunter Biden, reportedly “finished the bulk of their work on the case about a year ago,” according to NBC News. However, sources claim that investigators are growing increasingly frustrated with the amount of time it is taking prosecutors to review possible charges against the first son for alleged tax evasion and falsifying drug use information on a gun application.
This frustration comes just days after an IRS whistleblower who supervised the tax probe since early 2020 contacted Congress through an attorney, alleging a cover-up in the case.
Currently, the US Attorney's Office in Delaware is reportedly reviewing four potential charges against him, which include two misdemeanor counts of failing to file taxes, a felony count of evading taxes related to a business expense, and the charge of falsifying drug use information on a gun application.
The latest report comes after a whistleblower at the IRS expressed a desire to come forward and reveal alleged preferential treatment in the case involving Hunter Biden. The whistleblower, who has already filed complaints with the Treasury and Justice departments' watchdogs, intended to expose false statements made to Congress by a "senior political appointee", according to Mark Lytle, the whistleblower's lawyer. Lytle wrote in a letter on Wednesday that his client is willing to speak out and shed light on the matter.
Who is the 'senior political appointee'?
According to a report by The Post, the senior political appointee mentioned by the IRS whistleblower who allegedly made false statements to Congress is believed to be Attorney General Merrick Garland. It is reported that Garland twice assured senators that David Weiss, the US Attorney for Delaware, had the authority to bring charges against Hunter Biden in the case.
Weiss, who was recommended to his position in 2017 by Delaware's two Democratic senators, is a holdover from the Trump administration. Republicans had raised concerns about Weiss's ability to bring a case without the approval of other officials for crimes that may have occurred outside Delaware.
At this time, it is uncertain whether Hunter Biden is still being investigated for potential charges of money laundering and failure to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). However, the Justice Department has been ramping up its prosecution of FARA violations in recent years.
For instance, in 2018, former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort was sentenced to 60 months in prison for FARA violations related to his work in Ukraine, as well as an additional 30 months for other charges, such as tax and bank fraud and witness tampering.
According to NBC News, the investigation into Hunter Biden's conduct began in 2018, which was well before a computer repairman provided the FBI with his abandoned laptop in late 2019. The laptop contained documents that implicated President Biden in various international business dealings during and after his vice presidency. However, it appears that the investigation into Hunter Biden had already been underway prior to the discovery of the laptop.
The House Oversight Committee, which is currently led by Republicans, is conducting an investigation into the business dealings of Hunter and James Biden in several countries, including China, Mexico, Ukraine, and others, and is also examining the potential involvement of President Joe Biden in these activities.
Updated 11:17 IST, April 22nd 2023