A deputy attorney general ordered the IRS to stop openly investigating evidence of apparent influence-peddling by Pres. Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, because the 2020 election was approaching, a whistleblower testified, according to a transcript made public Thursday.
Whistleblower testimony by 14-year IRS veteran, Supervisory Special Agent Gary Shapley, alleges that the order was just one of several curious comments made by Deputy Attorney General Donoghue:
“On September 4th, 2020, Deputy Attorney General Donoghue issued a cease and desist of all overt investigative activities due to the coming election. AUSA Wolf made several odd statements, to include that DOJ was under fire and it was self-inflicted. She stated that DOJ needed to repair their reputation.”
Shapley recalls multiple instances in which IRS investigations into Hunter Biden were impeded, such as in 2017, when Hunter appears to have used his father, the president of the United States, as leverage:
“For example, we obtained a July 30th, 2017, WhatsApp message from Hunter Biden to Henry Zhao, where Hunter Biden wrote: ‘I am sitting here with my father and we would like to understand why the commitment made has not been fulfilled. Tell the director that I would like to resolve this now before it gets out of hand, and now means tonight. And, Z, if I get a call or text from anyone involved in this other than you, Zhang, or the chairman, I will make certain that between the man sitting next to me and every person he knows and my ability to forever hold a grudge that you will regret not following my direction. I am sitting here waiting for the call with my father.’”
“Communications like these made it clear we needed to search the guest house at the Bidens' Delaware residence where Hunter Biden stayed for a time,” Shapley testified.
However, despite the evidence, Shapley says the IRS was told by the Assistant U.S. Attorney Lesley Wolf that any investigation would be fruitless, due to the “optics” of probing someone like Hunter Biden:
“In a September 3rd, 2023 [2020], pros meeting, the Assistant United States Attorney, Lesley Wolf, told us there was more than enough probable cause for the physical search warrant there, but the question was whether the juice was worth the squeeze. She continued that optics were a driving factor in the decision on whether to execute a search warrant. She said a lot of evidence in our investigation would be found in the guest house of former Vice President Biden, but said there is no way we will get that approved.”
“The prosecutors even wanted to remove Hunter Biden's name from electronic search warrants, 2703(d) orders, and document requests,” Shapley testified.
“On September 3rd, 2020, the slow-walking of process continued when AUSA Wolf stated that a search warrant for the emails for Blue Star Strategies was being sat on by OEO,” Shapley continued, recalling the events leading to the “cease and desist” demand by Deputy Attorney General Donoghue:
“She indicated it would likely not get approved. This was a significant blow to the Foreign Agents Registration Act piece of the investigation.
“On September 4th, 2020, issued a cease and desist of all overt investigative activities due to the coming election. AUSA Wolf made several odd statements, to include that DOJ was under fire and it was self-inflicted. She stated that DOJ needed to repair their reputation.”