This week, a government watchdog group initiated legal action in Delaware federal court, aiming to force the Justice Department to release records that could determine whether Hunter Biden should face further investigation under a 1910 law concerning “prostitution or debauchery.”
The Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project filed the suit in the same Wilmington court where Biden was recently convicted on gun charges. The group argues there is substantial evidence indicating that Biden was being investigated under the Mann Act, a law from an era when urban prostitution was more widespread. This statute criminalizes the “knowing transportation… in interstate or foreign commerce… of any woman or girl for the purpose of prostitution or debauchery.”
According to the legal brief obtained by Fox News Digital, IRS whistleblower Joseph Ziegler testified before the House Ways & Means Committee in 2023, discussing the Justice Department's probe into potential Mann Act violations. Ziegler mentioned a “West Coast assistant” of Biden’s, believed to be involved in prostitution, whose related expenses Biden allegedly deducted.
Ziegler noted that the Justice Department was “compiling” potential violation allegations but was unaware of the investigation's outcome.
Oversight Project attorney Kyle Brosnan told Fox News Digital that he believes the Justice Department possesses pertinent information that should be disclosed. The Oversight Project seeks records related to Ziegler's testimony, communications with the probation office regarding the Mann Act, and any “victim”-related inquiries.
In response to information requests, the Justice Department issued a “Glomar response,” a legal maneuver allowing them to neither confirm nor deny the existence of the requested records. Brosnan criticized this response as “completely inappropriate,” suggesting it might support claims that the department was lenient in prosecuting Biden, especially in light of the laptop’s contents and Congress’ findings.
Mike Howell, executive director of the Oversight Project, emphasized to Fox News Digital that transporting prostitutes across state lines is a federal offense. He stated, “This is another criminal offense that Hunter has not been charged for – one that we are forcing the Department of Justice to admit that they are tracking as well as refusing to prosecute.”
