Former FBI agent says he was not aware of interference in Hunter Biden
probe
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[August 15, 2023]
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A former FBI agent who helped lead
the probe of Hunter Biden told congressional investigators that he was
not aware of any political interference in the case, though he said
higher-ups blocked an interview with President Joe Biden's son weeks
after the 2020 presidential election, transcripts show.
In transcripts from a July 17 interview with the Republican-controlled
House of Representatives Oversight Committee, the unidentified FBI
supervisory agent corroborated earlier testimony by an Internal Revenue
Service whistleblower that investigators were not allowed to interview
Hunter Biden on Dec. 8, 2020, after top Secret Service officials and the
Biden transition team were notified of the plan.
The former agent, who retired last year after more than 20 years with
the agency, told investigators that he was frustrated over the decision
by more senior officials to block the interview but didn't consider the
outcome problematic.
"I wasn't aware of political interference, personally," the former agent
said.
Republicans pointed to the testimony as evidence that the Justice
Department intervened to delay the Hunter Biden probe, even though the
events took place while Republican President Donald Trump was in office.
"Tipping off the transition team and not being able to interview Hunter
Biden as planned are just a couple of examples that reveal the Justice
Department's misconduct in the Biden criminal investigation," House
Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said in a statement on Monday
when the committee released the transcript.
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Hunter Biden, son of U.S. President Joe
Biden, arrives at federal court to plead guilty to two misdemeanor
charges of willfully failing to pay income taxes in Wilmington,
Delaware, U.S., July 26, 2023. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo
Comer said the alleged misconduct occurred under U.S. Attorney David
Weiss, a Trump appointee who was named special counsel in the Hunter
Biden investigation last week over the objections of many House
Republicans including Comer.
Hunter Biden in July pleaded not guilty to charges of failing to pay
taxes on more than $1.5 million in income in 2017 and 2018 despite
owing more than $100,000. He did not enter a plea in a separate case
where he is charged with unlawfully owning a firearm while using
illegal drugs, which is a felony.
The former agent said investigators had planned to surprise Hunter
Biden with their interview request, but first had to notify the
Secret Service, which had begun protecting the son of the
then-president-elect days earlier.
In the end, both FBI and Secret Service headquarters were notified
about the interview plan, the interviewers' access to Hunter Biden
was blocked and the former FBI agent heard from an attorney for
Hunter Biden.
(Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Scott Malone and Howard
Goller)
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