A feud over the Hunter Biden investigation has formed between an IRS agent and a US attorney.
The IRS agent is Gary Shapley, a whistleblower who recently testified about the investigation.
The US attorney is David C. Weiss, who sent a letter this week to Senate Judiciary Committee Chair (and wet noodle) Lindsey Graham “to clarify an apparent misperception” by stating that he “has never been denied the authority to bring charges in any jurisdiction,” as Shapley’s testimony suggested.
Republicans – like House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, especially – are offering up Shapley like he’s a star witness, the key to proving that the Department of Justice interfered with the Hunter Biden investigation. The Hunter Biden investigation recently concluded in an agreement, which forced Biden to plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax charges in order to waive the more serious gun charge.
The origin of the feud
Weiss’s letter stems from Shapley’s testimony. Specifically, Shapley testified that during a “very contentious” meeting last October, between IRS agents and prosecutors, “Weiss said he had sought and been denied special counsel status to pursue charges in districts outside Delaware,” MSNBC reported. Attorney General Merrick Garland has denounced Shapley’s claims, stating that Weiss “was given complete authority to make all decisions on his own.”
Now Weiss is forcefully rejecting Shapley’s claims, too.
Weiss, who is a 2018-Trump appointee, also sent a letter in June to Representative Jordan. In the June letter, Weiss wrote that he had been “granted ultimate authority over this matter, including responsibility for deciding where, when and whether to file charges.”
Just a misunderstanding?
According to MSNBC, “Weiss explained one reason for the possible disconnect between what Shapley said he heard” a misunderstanding between two different types of prosecutors – a “special counsel,” which is an attorney appointed under one set of regulations, and a “special attorney,” which is an attorney appointed under a different set of regulations. According to Weiss, he never asked to be appointed a special counsel, which would have given the attorney general the power to overrule charging decisions.” Instead, Weiss discussed the option of being appointed as a special attorney, “which would have allowed him to continue to act as a US attorney but file charges in any district ‘without the partnership of the local US Attorney.’”
Was the Hunter Biden agreement harsh or lenient?
The Shapley-Weiss feud is not the only point of contention relating to the Hunter Biden investigation. The agreement that Biden was offered is itself a point of contention, with some believing the deal was too harsh while others are believing the deal was too lenient. Predictably, interpretations of the Biden deal seem to fall along partisan lines – with conservatives arguing the deal was too lenient and liberals arguing the deal was too harsh.
Either scenario is concerning. A “sweetheart deal” afforded to someone because of who their father is a disheartening outcome for the Department of Justice investigation. Similarly, the idea that someone would be prosecuted more vigorously because of who their father happens to be is also a disheartening outcome for a Department of Justice investigation.
The whole Hunter Biden thing strikes me as tangential. Maybe I should be more invested but I don’t find it very compelling.
Harrison Kass is the Senior Editor and opinion writer at 19FortyFive. An attorney, pilot, guitarist, and minor pro hockey player, Harrison joined the US Air Force as a Pilot Trainee but was medically discharged. Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. Harrison listens to Dokken.
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