US attorney general denies Hunter Biden whistleblower allegations

WASHINGTON (AA) – Attorney General Merrick Garland denies allegations that the Justice Department interfered in the investigation of U.S. President Joe Biden’s son.

He said the attorney appointed by Donald Trump was allowed to continue his investigation.

Trump had appointed David Weiss to pursue the case.

“Mr. Weiss has since sent a letter to the House Judiciary Committee confirming that he had that authority,” he told reporters at the Justice Department.

“I don’t know how it would be possible for anybody to block him for bringing a prosecution given that he has this authority. And he was never told no. I’m saying he was given complete authority to make all decisions on his own,” he added.

The controversy erupted after a Republican-led House committee released testimony from two staffers who claimed investigators interfered with Weiss’ investigation.

The Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith said the allegations revealed misconduct and uneven enforcement of the tax law.

He said the preferential treatment given to Hunter Biden would never have been granted to ordinary Americans.

One of the whistleblowers pointed to alleged efforts to block enforcement actions, limit opportunities for questioning, and delay action before elections.

The decision to release the whistleblower transcripts came just three days after Weiss announced that the younger Biden had agreed to accept a settlement with his agency over tax and weapons violations.

The transcript included a 2017 WhatsApp conversation between Hunter Biden and Chinese businessman Henry Zhao.

The conversation seems to indicate that the younger Biden wanted to involve his father in his business dealings.

President Biden has often insisted that he was never involved in his son’s business dealings.

White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre and National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby declined to comment on the matter when pressed by reporters Friday.