In an unexpected development, a third IRS agent who worked on the Hunter Biden case has come forward. In closed-door testimony that took place on Capitol Hill on Thursday, Michael Batdorf testified that U.S. Attorney David Weiss faced roadblocks from the DOJ in charging the president’s troubled son.
A third IRS official confirmed that Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss faced roadblocks when attempting to bring charges against Hunter Biden, contradicting denials issued Wednesday by Attorney General Merrick Garland.
IRS Director of Field Operations Michael Batdorf told the House Ways and Means Committee in a closed-door interview on Sept. 12 that he felt “frustrated” by the refusal of the Justice Department to approve tax charges that IRS agents viewed as well-supported by evidence, according to a transcript of the interview obtained by the Washington Examiner.
Batdorf’s statements corroborate what Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler, the first and second whistleblowers, told Congress. Namely, that Weiss was not given the freedom to pursue charges unabated as AG Merrick Garland claimed. The IRS agent also testified to the fact that he himself had grown frustrated with the Department of Justice for stonewalling the investigation.
He also revealed a new bit of possible corruption: Weiss had Gary Shapley removed from the case.
He also said the IRS removed agent Gary Shapley, a whistleblower, from the Hunter Biden case at the direction of Weiss despite having done nothing wrong.
Batdorf’s testimony was the latest piece of evidence to suggest Weiss did not enjoy the unfettered authority to pursue Hunter Biden that Garland and others claimed he had.
Further, Batdorf suggested that the DOJ was giving preferential treatment to Hunter Biden, allowing his legal time far more opportunities to meet with the DOJ’s tax division than a normal person would get. That allowed the president’s son to plead his case and try to influence the outcome of the investigation.
“DOJ Tax would have to authorize charges prior to David Weiss recommending an indictment or prosecution,” Batdorf said during his interview.
“So, I mean, my understanding is that, I mean, he can’t make that decision without DOJ Tax authorization,” Batdorf said.
The IRS supervisor confirmed that Hunter Biden’s defense team was given an unusual number of chances, possibly as many as four, to meet with DOJ Tax investigators and argue why its client should not face charges.
Tensions between DOJ Tax and the IRS investigators over the strength of the case began after DOJ Tax officials started meeting with Hunter Biden’s defense lawyers, Batdorf said.
It seems pretty clear at this point that the DOJ really did not want to charge Hunter Biden. Was that because they were trying to protect Joe Biden and his family or because they didn’t want the political headache? We don’t know the answer to that, but neither scenario is acceptable. After all, we are talking about the same DOJ that has had no problem going after Donald Trump despite the political pitfalls facing the department. The double standards are impossible to ignore.
For his part, Merrick Garland has no good explanation for his past comments in light of this new testimony. He obviously did not tell the truth when he said Weiss had the power to charge Hunter Biden as he saw fit. That doesn’t mean much as long as Garland runs the DOJ, though. He’s not going to charge himself with perjury or clean house when he’s one of the people who dirtied the room. Accountability can only come with a new administration that has the courage to not let things lie.
