The Republican chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee submitted materials Tuesday to the judge in Hunter Biden's criminal case, flagging recent claims from IRS whistleblowers that the probe into President Joe Biden's son was tainted by political interference.
Rep. Jason Smith, a Missouri Republican, wants District Judge Maryellen Noreika to "consider" these allegations while she presides over Hunter Biden's plea hearing on Wednesday morning in Delaware.
"The Defendant appears to have benefited from political interference which calls into question the propriety of the investigation of the U.S. Attorney's Office," Smith's attorney wrote in a court filing, which went to say, "it is critical that the Court consider the Whistleblower Materials before determining whether to accept the Plea Agreement."
Hunter Biden is set to plead guilty Wednesday to two federal tax misdemeanors, for failing to pay taxes on time in 2017 and 2018. The plea deal will also resolve a felony gun charge if Hunter Biden abides by court-imposed rules, according to court filings. CNN has previously reported that prosecutors are expected to recommend that the president's son avoid jail.
As the judge presiding over the case, Noreika has the power to reject the plea agreement that was negotiated between Hunter Biden and the Justice Department, though that would be a surprising and unexpected move. The House committee and Smith are not parties in the case.
Smith's committee heard testimony from two IRS agents who helped lead the probe. They claimed Justice Department officials undercut their attempts to scrutinize Biden family members, slow-walked requests for subpoenas and search warrants, and blocked the US attorney who oversaw the probe from bringing the felony tax evasion charges that they had recommended.
The relevant parties -- including US attorney David Weiss, Attorney General Merrick Garland and other senior Justice Department officials -- publicly refuted the whistleblowers' claims of politicization, which included alleged incidents dating back to 2020 when Trump was president.
Weiss, a Trump appointee, has offered to publicly testify about the matter to Congress this fall.
Also on Tuesday, the right-wing Heritage Foundation urged Noreika to postpone Wednesday's plea hearing so she could "obtain additional information" directly from the Justice Department that might address the lingering questions about whether there was any political interference in the probe.
