WASHINGTON – Empower Oversight has filed with the Justice Department two new Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests regarding the investigation of Hunter Biden. The first request asks for all communications to or from Justice Department employees and Hunter Biden’s legal team. The second request asks for communications between the Justice Department and members of the press regarding IRS Supervisory Special Agent Gary Shapley.
The requests are the next in a series following a story in The New York Times that exposed Biden lawyers’ false accusations to the department about Shapley. The respected agent blew the whistle on preferential treatment for the President’s son in the Justice Department’s tax investigation and conflicts of interest involving the improper participation of Biden political appointees contrary to sworn congressional testimony by the Attorney General.
In Empower’s requests, the organization outlines its contact with The New York Times reporter who told Shapley’s attorneys that Hunter Biden’s lawyers had sent the Department a letter asking in writing that it investigate Shapley for allegedly breaking laws protecting the privacy of grand jury deliberations and confidential taxpayer information. When asked for a copy of the letter, the reporter claimed neither he nor his colleagues at the paper had a copy. After Biden lawyers released them to the press, Empower Oversight has since obtained copies of multiple letters containing false and baseless accusations against SSA Shapley to the Justice Department.
Since Shapley came forward with protected disclosures, Biden’s attorneys have irresponsibly hurled false allegations against the whistleblower. Biden lawyers echoed these false accusations and frivolous claims in a court filing before a federal judge in Delaware who promptly rejected them, refusing to seal copies of whistleblower testimony and documents provided to the House Ways and Means Committee.
Empower Oversight’s FOIA requests have been made in an effort to shine light on the magnitude of Biden lawyers’ failed efforts to lobby the Justice Department to conduct a retaliatory prosecution of Shapley prior to their frivolous the lawsuit against the IRS last week.
To see the request asking for communications between the Justice Department and the Biden legal team click here.
To see the request asking for communications between the Justice Department and the media discussing SSA Shapley click here.
To see the request asking for Hunter Biden attorneys’ letter lobbying the Biden Justice Department to prosecute IRS whistleblowers click here.