The IRS has removed the “entire investigative team” from the Hunter Biden tax-fraud probe, the New York Post reported Monday evening.
Attorneys for a whistleblower within the tax agency told Congress in a letter that the purge was retaliation done on the orders of President Biden’s Justice Department, the Post reported.
“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. He was informed the change was at the request of the Department of Justice,” attorneys Mark Lytle and Tristan Leavitt wrote in the letter, which was obtained by the Post.
Although the whistleblower has not himself identified President Biden’s son as the subject of the probe, sources within Congress have confirmed that.
In their letter, Mr. Lytle and Mr. Leavitt noted that IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel told the House Ways and Means Committee less than a month ago that “there will be no retaliation” for using the federal government’s whistleblower hotline, this move refutes that.
“However, this move is clearly retaliatory and may also constitute obstruction of a congressional inquiry,” they wrote.
“Our client has a right to make disclosures to Congress … He is protected by 5 U.S.C. § 2302 from retaliatory personnel actions—including receiving a ‘significant change in duties, responsibilities, or working conditions’ (which this clearly is) because of his disclosures to Congress,” the letter stated.
“We respectfully request that you give this matter your prompt attention,” the unnamed whistleblower’s legal team said.
The IRS, the Justice Department and the White House all had no immediate comment to the Post.
Mr. Lytle told top Congress members last month that his client knew of “preferential treatment” in the Hunter Biden case and believes Attorney General Merrick Garland gave false testimony to Congress about the tax-fraud case, being led by Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss that reportedly dates back to 2018.
The whistleblower also had gone to inspectors general at the Justice and Treasury departments.
Hunter Biden has acknowledged being investigated for possible tax fraud, but did not do so until after his father won the 2020 election.
• Victor Morton can be reached at vmorton@washingtontimes.com.
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