OPINION:
Democrats enjoy invincibility when they maintain a seamless defensive shield around their center of power. With the settlement of Hunter Biden‘s criminal charges, the party powerful have managed to fashion robust protection for both the first son and his presidential progenitor in the White House.
Chinks in their armor have appeared, though, reinforcing the impression of a skeptical public that, sadly, the party prefers deceitful favoritism over justice for all.
Damning congressional testimony given by IRS whistleblowers and released by Republican lawmakers last week charged that politically connected thumbs have tipped the scales of justice in the Bidens’ favor.
For his allegations of criminal tax and gun violations, Hunter faces only two misdemeanor charges, a felony charge eligible for dismissal and a timid tsk-tsk.
Among the most jarring assertions from the investigative insiders is that Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss attempted to bring tax charges against Hunter last year in Southern California and the District of Columbia, but Mr. Weiss was blocked by the Department of Justice.
It was in those two places between 2014 and 2019 that Hunter Biden and his business partners purportedly dodged U.S. tax obligations as they raked in an estimated $17 million from China, Ukraine and Romania.
IRS Criminal Supervisory Special Agent Gary Shapley Jr. testified that Mr. Weiss told a gathering of six investigators last October that when it comes to weighing the case against Hunter, he “is not the deciding person on whether charges are filed.”
The allegation, confirmed by a second, anonymous whistleblower, directly contradicts the sworn testimony of Attorney General Merrick Garland in which he assured Congress that, as the point person in charge of the inquiry, Mr. Weiss was fully authorized to bring charges in any judicial jurisdiction. Mr. Garland repeated his claim on Friday.
Moreover, he asserted that Mr. Weiss made the same assertion in a letter to the House Judiciary Committee earlier this month.
Someone is lying about where the power to prosecute resides. The glaring contradictions prompted House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Sunday to tweet: “We need to get to the facts, and that includes reconciling these clear disparities. U.S. Attorney David Weiss must provide answers to the House Judiciary Committee.”
If the whistleblower charges are confirmed, Mr. McCarthy suggested that an impeachment investigation of Mr. Garland could begin.
Americans have already concluded that dissembling is the trademark of the Biden Justice Department. A Reuters/Ipsos poll published last week found that 50% of Americans believe Hunter Biden has received favorable treatment from prosecutors because he is President Biden’s son. Only 36% said they disagree.
Public skepticism is a natural response to the department’s blatant descent into political partisanship. Rewarding Hunter Biden with a deal sweeter than his father’s favorite chocolate chip ice cream is just the most recent example.
Congressional Republicans have an obligation to exploit cracks in the Bidens’ protective wall, exposed by the whistleblowers. If Merrick Garland, the nation’s top defender of the law, is found to be subverting justice instead, Americans have every reason to associate the D in Democrat with the d in deceit.
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