Lawyers for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) supervisor investigating Hunter Biden denounced in a letter to Congress that their client and his entire team had been removed from the case by order of the Department of Justice (DOJ). In the letter, the lawyers point out that this was "retaliation" because the agent had agreed to appear before the House Committee investigating the president's family business and the whistleblower protection protocol had been activated.
Since several sources have obtained it and released it independently, attached is the letter @tristanleavitt of @EMPOWR_us and Mark Lytle of @NixonPeabodyLLP sent to Congress today regarding retaliation against their IRS client. pic.twitter.com/veiqCGDPtP
— Empower Oversight (@EMPOWR_us) May 16, 2023
Does the DOJ protect Hunter Biden?
What is known about the purged supervisor, whose name has not been released, is that he is a decorated officer who had been leading the investigation into Biden's son for years. His attorneys, Mark Lytle and Tristan Leavitt, said the decision to remove him came from the DOJ:
Today, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) criminal supervisory special agent we represent has been informed that he and his entire investigative team have been removed from the ongoing and sensitive investigation into the controversial high-profile matter about which our client sought to make disclosures to Congress. He was informed that the change was at the request of the Department of Justice.
"It's clearly retaliation."
Something that, as the lawyers recall, contradicts the statements of the IRS Commissioner, Daniel Werfel, in Congress, in which he assured that there would be no retaliation against agents who decided to collaborate with the ongoing investigation of the lower house. In addition, they point out that the decision to withdraw the team of investigators "may constitute an obstruction of the investigation".
On April 27, 2023, IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel appeared before the House Ways and Means Committee. He stated, "I can say without hesitation that there will be no retaliation for anyone who makes a complaint or calls a whistleblower hotline." However, this move is clearly retaliatory and may also constitute obstruction of a congressional investigation.
Failure to comply with federal whistleblower protection law
The lawyers urged lawmakers to investigate his complaint since "federal law prohibits any retaliation to a whistleblower, including 'receiving a 'significant change in his duties, responsibilities, or working conditions' (which is clearly what happened) because of his disclosures to Congress."
Lytle and Leavitt noted in closing that what happened with their client "is exactly the type of issue" that the supervisor intended to report. "The removal of the experienced investigators who have worked on this case for years and are now the subject matter experts is exactly the type of matter our client intended to report to begin with," they note.
