A group of Republican House and Senate lawmakers have asked special counsel Henry Kerner to discipline IRS and Justice Department officials who may have retaliated against two whistleblowers who told Congress that Hunter Biden received preferential treatment in a tax fraud probe.
In a letter to Mr. Kerner, who is in the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, the lawmakers say the whistleblowers and their investigative team were kicked off the Hunter Biden tax fraud probe and denied career advancement “in apparent retaliation for their legally protected communication with Congress.”
The Justice Department and IRS also failed to inform the whistleblowers about their right to make the bombshell disclosures, lawmakers said.
The letter was signed by House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer, Kentucky Republican; House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, Missouri Republican; Senate Budget Committee ranking member Chuck Grassley, Iowa Republican, and Investigations Permanent Subcommittee ranking member Ron Johnson, Wisconsin Republican.
The four lawmakers have been leading the yearslong investigation into the Biden family’s foreign business deals, which center around the actions of President Biden’s son, Hunter Biden.
Critics say Hunter Biden received a “sweetheart” plea deal on two misdemeanor charges following a five-year investigation into tax fraud.
Under the terms of the agreement, Hunter Biden will appear in federal court in Wilmington, Delaware, on July 26, to enter his plea deal with prosecutors to two misdemeanor tax charges and admitting to felony gun possession. Prosecutors will recommend probation and no jail time and the president’s son will not face a federal charge for falsifying a firearm background check.
Whistleblower Gary Shapley and another anonymous IRS investigator told Congress that the Justice Department worked to protect Hunter Biden, blocking search warrants and preventing them from fully investigating the charges.
After reporting their claims to Congress, the two were removed from investigating Hunter Biden at the Justice Department’s request, and Mr. Shapley said he was blocked from a job promotion.
U.S. Attorney David Weiss, a Trump appointee who has been investigating Hunter Biden, last week denied taking retaliatory action.
The lawmakers are now calling on Mr. Kerner to investigate the allegations of retaliation and “immediate seek appropriate disciplinary action,” against anyone who took part in it.
They’ve asked for a briefing from Mr. Kerner by July 19.
• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.
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