WASHINGTON – Republicans in the House of Representatives could impeach Attorney General Merrick Garland on charges that the Justice Department suppressed criminal charges against Hunter Biden.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-California) said Sunday that the allegation would be “an essential part” of an impeachment inquiry if claims by an IRS whistleblower were true.
Federal prosecutors in Delaware last week announced indictments against President Joe Biden’s son for non-payment of taxes in 2017 and 2018. Hunter Biden agreed to plead guilty.
But Gary Shapley, an IRS agent who oversaw a criminal investigation into the president’s son’s taxes, said in testimony before Congress released last week that Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss claimed he cannot indict Hunter Biden outside of Delaware. This would contradict statements made by Garland.
“We need to get to the bottom of the facts, and that includes reconciling these apparent differences,” McCarthy said said on Twitter on Sunday. “US Attorney David Weiss must provide answers to the House Judiciary Committee. If the whistleblowers’ claims are true, this will be an integral part of a larger impeachment investigation into Merrick Garland’s arming of the DOJ.”
The alleged “arming” of the Justice Department has been a major talking point for Republicans in the House of Representatives supporting former President Donald Trump’s “witch hunt” complaint against federal law enforcement agencies. Trump, who is currently running for president, was indicted this month on obstruction of justice and other federal charges related to hoarding classified documents after he left the White House.
The fact that Hunter Biden was also indicted made Republicans insist even more that Trump was being mistreated. Republicans called the charges against Biden a slap on the wrist, although previous prosecutors had not said something else.
Shapley claimed that Weiss said at a meeting in October that he could not press charges against Biden in Washington, DC without the approval of the US Attorney there. Shapley’s testimony came in May, but House Republicans made it public after Weiss announced a deal with Biden. Shapley’s attorneys on Saturday published an opinion He named other people he said witnessed the conversation.
White told lawmakers Earlier this month, he wrote in a letter that he had “ultimate authority” to press charges whenever and wherever he chose. And Garland said Friday that Weiss has “full authority to make all decisions himself.”
A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment Monday.
Far-right members of the House of Representatives are dying to impeach the President and various cabinet officials, including Garland. McCarthy persuaded her last week to refrain from early impeachment of Biden; he could thwart them by supporting an impeachment investigation into Garland.
It would be up to the Democrat-controlled Senate whether impeachments would result in officials being removed from office.