House Republicans increased their pressure on the Department of Justice on Thursday, urging the DOJ to permit four witnesses to testify regarding the department's lengthy investigation into Hunter Biden. They argued that the department is preventing employees associated with the case from adhering to congressional subpoenas.
The House Judiciary Committee, in a letter obtained by the Washington Examiner, informed Attorney General Merrick Garland that the DOJ had directed two Tax Division officials to refuse their subpoenas.
Senior litigation counsel Mark Daly and trial attorney Jack Morgan, who were involved in the Hunter Biden case, served as representatives of the Tax Division during a meeting at DOJ headquarters in June 2022 regarding prosecution decisions concerning Hunter Biden. Gary Shapley, a former IRS criminal investigator turned whistleblower, attended the meeting and alleged to Congress that during the meeting, the Tax Division opposed pursuing charges against Biden.
About eighteen months later, the DOJ filed nine tax charges against Hunter Biden for the tax years 2016 to 2019. However, the committee is still investigating whether Biden received preferential treatment that spared him from charges for the tax years 2014 and 2015.
Republicans, as part of their impeachment inquiry, are also probing the DOJ's investigation of Biden to ascertain if Joe Biden's office had any role in the investigative procedures concerning his son.
In addition to Morgan and Daly, Jordan recently issued subpoenas to former Delaware Assistant U.S. Attorney Lesley Wolf and U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves of Washington, D.C. Both officials have testified regarding their knowledge of the Biden investigation, but the DOJ restricted the topics that could be discussed during their interviews. The issuance of subpoenas to Wolf and Graves indicates the committee's quest for further details from them.
Regarding Morgan and Daly, Jordan's letter on Thursday marks the latest development in an ongoing dialogue between the committee and the DOJ since at least last September. Republicans explicitly stated in their impeachment resolution last year their intention to pursue legal action against both officials if the DOJ does not permit them to testify. Unless they come to a last-minute agreement with the department, litigation appears to be the next step for Republicans in this matter.
