‘An act of retaliation and possible obstruction of congressional inquiries’
A new report confirms the IRS has removed a whistleblower and his entire team from an investigation into Hunter Biden’s tax problems, and the whistleblower’s lawyers are suggesting it raises concerns about the agency obstructing a congressional investigation.
Just the News reported Tuesday the Department of Justice removed the whistleblower and his team “from the criminal investigation of Hunter Biden’s taxes.”
The president’s son has confirmed he’s been under investigation for his taxes for several years.
His lawyers described to Congress immediately that it appeared to be “an act of retaliation and possible obstruction of congressional inquiries,” the report said.
The details come from correspondence obtained by Just the News.
The name of the IRS whistleblower hasn’t been released, but the report describes him as a decorated supervisory criminal investigative agent.
He was given whistleblower protect recently from Congress and the DOJ inspector general to reveal what he’s described as political interference in the investigation of Hunter Biden.
“Today the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Supervisory Special Agent we represent ‘was informed that he and his entire investigative team are being removed from the ongoing and sensitive investigation of the high-profile, controversial subject about which our client sought to make whistleblower disclosures to Congress,'” his lawyers, Mark Lytle and Tristan Leavitt, told members of Congress in a letter.
“He was informed the change was at the request of the Department of Justice.”
U.S. Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., chief of the House Ways and Means Committee, said the whistleblower was supposed to be protected from “retaliatory” actions.
Members of Congress, in fact, had accepted the agent as a whistleblower and were planning to interview him on the record.
He purportedly had gotten assurances from IRS chief Daniel Werfel there would be no retaliation.
Smith continued, “Congress’s duty to hold government agencies accountable relies on the availability and willingness of individuals to speak out about wrongdoing. Not only does retaliation like this discourage whistleblowers, it can also rise to the level of an illegal violation of statutory protections for whistleblowers. I call on Commissioner Werfel to abide by his pledge, quickly provide information to Congress in response to these allegations, and ensure that no action is taken to discourage those who attempt to shine a light on government misconduct.”
Just the News reported that the whistleblower’s lawyers express serious concerns.
“On April 27, 2023, IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel appeared before the House Committee on Ways and Means. He testified: ‘I can say without any hesitation there will be no retaliation for anyone making an allegation or a call to a whistleblower hotline.’ However, this move is clearly retaliatory and may also constitute obstruction of a congressional inquiry.”
In fact, federal law bans reprisals against whistleblowers, including any “significant” change in duties.
“In late April, Just the News reported that an IRS whistleblower was alleging that federal prosecutors had engaged in ‘preferential treatment and politics’ to prevent tax charges from being filed against the president’s son,” the report said.
That was a different story from that delivered by Attorney General Merrick Garland who claimed Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss, who has been heading up the investigation, had full authority to pursue the case without fear of political interference.
Original Article: https://www.wnd.com/2023/05/irs-yanks-whistleblower-team-hunter-biden-probe-report/
