Hunter Biden tax probe: IRS agent alleges investigation is being mishandled, seeks whistleblower protection

A special agent of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is seeking whistleblower protection to disclose details about what the agent alleges is the mishandling of a criminal investigation into United States President Joe Biden's son Hunter. According to a report by the news agency Associated Press on Thursday (April 20), the IRS special agent's lawyer Mark Lytle sent a letter to the members of Congress which said that his client has information about a "failure to mitigate clear conflicts of interest in the ultimate deposition" of the investigation related to Hunter Biden's taxes and whether he made a false statement in connection with a gun purchase.

Lytle said in the letter that despite serious risks of retaliation, "my client is offering to provide you with information necessary to exercise your constitutional oversight function and wishes to make the disclosures in a nonpartisan manner to the leadership of the relevant committees on both sides of the political aisle.”

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The letter added that the supervisory special agent previously disclosed the information they are seeking to share with Congress internally with the IRS and a watchdog for the Justice Department, the Associated Press reported.

Lytle said that his client can contradict sworn testimony to lawmakers by a senior political appointee who has not been identified yet.

The lawyer also said that the agent wants to disclose examples of preferential treatment and politics improperly infecting decisions and protocols which would be normally followed by career law enforcement professionals in similar circumstances if the subject were not politically connected.

Since 2018, Hunter Biden's taxes and foreign business work have been under federal investigation by a federal grand jury in Delaware. However, no charges have been filed so far.

Also, Hunter's membership on the board of a Ukrainian energy company and his efforts to strike deals in China have raised questions by Republicans about whether he traded on his father Joe Biden's public service.

Joe Biden said he never spoke to his son about foreign business, and also there have been no indications that the federal investigation involves the president.

A day after lawyer Mark Lytle sent the letter, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that President Biden respects the rule of law and the independence of the Department of Justice. Neither the Justice Department nor Hunter Biden's legal team had an immediate comment on Wednesday's development.

(With inputs from agencies)

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