A dramatic turn in Hunter Biden's legal saga unfolds as President Joe Biden pardons his son for tax and gun-related convictions, sparking immediate controversy.
According to Fox News, IRS whistleblowers and Special Counsel David Weiss have strongly contested the Biden administration's narrative that Hunter Biden's prosecutions were politically motivated following the president's Sunday night pardon decision.
The pardon covers Hunter Biden's guilty verdicts in two separate cases: illegal purchase of a firearm and failure to pay $1.4 million in taxes. President Biden justified his decision by claiming the prosecutions were politically driven and represented a "miscarriage of justice," a stance that has drawn sharp criticism from those involved in the investigations.
IRS whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joe Ziegler, who played crucial roles in exposing Hunter Biden's tax issues, have publicly rejected the administration's characterization of the cases. They emphasized that their investigation was conducted without political bias and followed proper legal procedures.
The whistleblowers revealed that Hunter Biden's tax discrepancies dated back to 2014, particularly concerning his employment with Ukrainian natural gas firm Burisma Holdings. Their testimony to Congress highlighted alleged attempts by the Department of Justice to handle the case with unusual leniency.
Special Counsel David Weiss made his position clear in a court filing, stating, "There was none and never has been any evidence of vindictive or selective prosecution in this case."
The investigation into Hunter Biden's finances began in 2018 under the U.S. attorney in Delaware. The case gained public attention in December 2020 when Hunter Biden acknowledged the investigation's existence following his father's presidential election victory.
The Biden administration's decision to retain David Weiss, a Trump appointee, as the lead prosecutor initially appeared to demonstrate impartiality. This move was particularly notable as the administration had removed most Trump-era U.S. attorneys.
IRS whistleblowers Shapley and Ziegler responded to the pardon with this statement:
No amount of lies or spin can hide the simple truth that the Justice Department nearly let the President's son off the hook for multiple felonies. We did our duty, told the truth, and followed the law.
The pardon's timing and scope have generated significant debate about presidential powers and their limits. The decision effectively shields Hunter Biden from prosecution for offenses between 2014 and 2024, extending beyond the specific charges he faced.
House Republicans, who had launched an impeachment inquiry into President Biden, had previously released a report claiming evidence of "impeachable conduct" and alleged family enrichment through foreign dealings exceeding $27 million since 2014.
The White House maintains its position that President Biden had no involvement in his son's business dealings, despite mounting evidence suggesting otherwise, including alleged WhatsApp messages showing Hunter Biden leveraging his father's influence in business negotiations.
President Biden's pardon of his son Hunter marks a definitive end to a complex legal battle involving tax evasion and illegal firearm possession charges. The decision came after Hunter Biden was found guilty of gun charges in June and entered a guilty plea for tax-related offenses in September, facing potential prosecution for failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes and making false statements during a firearm purchase. IRS whistleblowers and the special counsel maintained that the prosecutions were legitimate and free from political motivation, directly contradicting the president's claims of selective prosecution.
