An IRS whistleblower who claimed to have evidence that the investigation into Hunter Biden was mishandled and plagued with political interference has been removed from the case, reported CNN on Tuesday.
"Attorneys for the whistleblower sent a letter on Monday to a series of House and Senate Committee chairmen informing them of the change, adding that the whistleblower’s investigative team has also been taken off the case, according to a copy of the letter obtained by CNN," reported Alayna Treene and Sara Murray. "The attorneys — including Tristan Leavitt, President of Empower Oversight, and Mark Lytle — added that the whistleblower was 'informed the change was at the request of the Department of Justice.'"
Per the report, the letter says "that it is an investigation of a 'high-profile, controversial subject,' which sources familiar with the matter have previously confirmed to CNN was Hunter Biden."
"Federal prosecutors have spent years, spanning three attorneys general, investigating Hunter Biden and have weighed bringing charges against him for alleged tax crimes and a false statement, CNN has previously reported," said the report. "So far, no charges have been filed. Hunter Biden has denied wrongdoing."
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According to the report, the IRS is refusing to comment on the investigation, as part of standard policy.
This comes as House Republicans ramp up a separate investigation seeking to prove that members of Biden's family, including Hunter, profited off of his name when he was vice president.
The Republican-controlled House Oversight Committee has alleged that the Biden family took in $1 million tied to a business deal with a Romanian tycoon when the then vice-president oversaw relations with the country in 2014-2015.
The deal was allegedly done by Rob Walker, a business partner of Biden's son Hunter.
In a detailed report, committee Republicans said Walker began receiving money from Romanian tycoon Gabriel Popoviciu shortly after Biden welcomed Romanian President Klaus Iohannis to the White House in September 2015.
A Cyprus company allegedly owned by Popoviciu, Bladon Enterprises, paid a private company owned by Walker over $3 million from November 2015 to May 2017.
The Republicans alleged that after the transfers came in from Bladon, Walker's company paid more than $1 million into accounts controlled by Hunter Biden, his sister-in-law Hallie Biden, and James Gilliar, another business partner of Hunter.
They said the pattern matches that of an already well-reported business deal Hunter Biden and Walker had with an energy company in China.
After receiving money from that company in 2017, the committee said Walker distributed more than $1 million to Gilliar and the Bidens.
Oversight Committee Chair James Comer said the Romanian funds were part of more than $10 million that Hunter Biden, his family and business associates had received from deals with foreigners in China, Ukraine, and elsewhere while Joe Biden was vice president from 2009 to 2017.
"Hunter Biden and his associates courted business in countries that correlated directly with Joe Biden's work as vice president. This is also not normal. It is not ethical," Comer said in a press conference.
The Republicans showed no evidence that Joe Biden directly benefitted from or even knew of the business deals and money transfers.
But they said he must have been aware of all of the companies set up by Hunter and his associates to conduct the business.
"Nobody in this room can logically sit here and say that the president of the United States had no idea that these companies were being formed while he was vice president of the United States," said Republican Representative Byron Reynolds.
Biden has repeatedly denied impropriety with regard to his son's deals, and defended Hunter's business practices. "My son has done nothing wrong. I trust him. I have faith in him," he said.
With additional reporting by AFP