IRS commissioner mum on alleged mishandling of Hunter Biden investigation: ‘very little I’m allowed to say’
Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., pressed IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel on Thursday for answers regarding an IRS special agent’s allegation that an investigation into the president’s son, Hunter Biden, is being mishandled.
During a virtual meeting between Werfel and other senators, Blackburn asked the IRS commissioner what he knew about the IRS special agent, who is now seeking whistleblower protection.
She asked Wefel what he knew about the whistleblower, when he knew about the allegations of mishandling the investigation, how he found out, and whether he tried to block any part of the investigation.
Wefel, who was confirmed by the Senate only last month, said he was facing a steep learning curve in his new role, and there was very little he could disclose.
REPUBLICANS RESPOND AFTER IRS WHISTLEBLOWER SAYS HUNTER BIDEN INVESTIGATION IS BEING MISHANDLED
“It’s my understanding that even if I acknowledge that there is some type of investigation, that is 6103 information,” Werfel said, referring to IRS disclosure laws.
“I’m learning that there’s very little that I’m allowed to say to you or to anyone except maybe the chair of the committee, the Chair of Senate Financial or the Chair of Ways and Means, about those activities,” Wefel said. “So, I’m just … not in a position to be able to respond to those questions in this setting.”
Mark D. Lytle, an attorney for the IRS whistleblower, sent a letter to lawmakers Wednesday saying that his client has been overseeing the “ongoing and sensitive investigation of a high-profile, controversial subject since early 2020 and would like to make protected whistleblower disclosures to Congress.”
The Wall Street Journal first reported the story. Fox News has since confirmed the story through a source familiar with the investigation that the subject at issue is Hunter Biden.
Lytle said his client has information that the investigator failed to mitigate “clear conflicts of interest,” adding that the investigator allegedly allowed preferential treatment and politics to infect decisions and protocols normally followed by law enforcement professionals if the subject was not politically connected.
Fox News Digital has reached out to a representative for the first son, seeking comment.
Hunter Biden has been under federal investigation since 2018. Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss, a prosecutor appointed by former President Donald Trump, is leading the investigation.
Fox News first reported in December 2020 that Hunter Biden was the target of a grand jury investigation prompted, in part, by Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) regarding suspicious foreign transactions.
He has not been charged with any crimes.
Fox News’ Greg Wehner contributed to this report.