BREAKING: Garland Refuses To Respond To A Question About The Hunter Biden Inquiry And Does Not Promise To Hiring A Special Counsel

Because the probe is being handled by a ‘Trump appointee,’ Garland believes it can be trusted. Attorney General Merrick Garland refused to give an update on the federal tax and financial investigation into Hunter Biden on Tuesday, defending the inquiry and dismissing the necessity for a special counsel. Garland promised senators there will be no political or inappropriate intervention in the Hunter Biden inquiry during a hearing before the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Garland refused to say whether he had been briefed on the Hunter Biden investigation, which is being overseen by David Weiss, the US attorney for the District of Delaware, during questioning by Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., who expressed concern about the fairness of the investigation, which has caused Americans to question their “confidence” in the Justice Department. Weiss is in charge of the probe, according to Garland.

“I’m not allowed to discuss internal Justice Department considerations, but he is the lead investigator on that case. There will be no political or inappropriate involvement.” When pressed further on the subject and asked if any top Justice Department officials were being told on the probe, Garland stated, “He is, after all, the investigation’s supervisor, and the department’s standard procedures apply. However, he is the investigation’s supervisor.”

Hagerty pressed Garland on how Americans could trust the department to undertake a “serious inquiry,” citing public remarks made in support of the Biden family by prominent officials of the administration. Garland said, “Because we put the inquiry in the hands of a Trump appointment from the previous administration, who is the United States Attorney for the District of Delaware.” “And because you have me as Attorney General, who is devoted to the Justice Department’s independence from White House intervention on criminal matters.”

Hagerty then asked Garland under what circumstances he would appoint a special counsel to examine the case, citing a “obvious conflict of interest.” “I believe there is a fact and law matter in each instance, deciding it and depending on how cases go, as well as the question of whether the Justice Department should proceed with its usual operations,” Garland said.

“I believe our internal discussions should be kept within the department.” While President Biden has stated that he would not interfere with Justice Department investigations, remarks from numerous top White House employees, notably White House chief of staff Ron Klain and White House press secretary Jen Psaki, have created concerns.

Klain stated earlier this month that the president is “certain that his son did not breach the law” and that “no one at the White House has been involved in” the inquiry. Both Psaki and Biden have stated that the president has not discussed his son’s business activities with him. Hunter Biden originally revealed that his “tax issues” were under federal investigation in December 2020. According to the source, President-elect Biden is not currently under investigation by a grand jury.

This inquiry was based, in part, on Questionable Activity Reports (SARs) reporting suspicious overseas transactions, according to the source. According to Fox News, just submitting a SAR does not indicate a criminal conduct or a breach of regulations; rather, it indicates that a transaction is “out of the norm” for the consumer. However, a SAR might be part of a money laundering or tax inquiry, according to the official.

The FBI “Receipt for Property” form, which outlines the bureau’s dealings with John Paul Mac Isaac, the proprietor of “The Mac Shop,” who reported the laptop’s contents to authorities, was one of the documents acquired by Fox News. A “Case ID” part of the paper was filled in with a handwritten number: 272D-BA-3065729.

According to FBI papers and several sources, the bureau’s categorization for money laundering is “272,” whereas “272D” refers to “Money Laundering, Unknown SUA [Specified Unlawful Activity]—White Collar Crime Program.” “272D” has been defined as “transnational or blanket” by one government official.

The subpoena was served in Wilmington, Del., which is under the authority of the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office, according to the records. A subpoena delivered to Isaac to testify before the United States District Court for the District of Delaware on December 9, 2019, was also acquired by Fox News. The subpoena included what looked to be serial numbers for a laptop and hard drive that had been taken into custody.

The subpoena said that it was issued at the request of Lesley F. Wolf, who was the assistant US attorney for the district of Delaware at the time. The FBI had been in possession of the laptop in issue since October, according to Fox News. As is customary, the FBI has declined to acknowledge or deny the existence of an investigation into the laptop or the emails. Biden’s tax troubles are being investigated by the Justice Department, which has declined to comment.

Hunter’s foreign business dealings during his father’s tenure as vice president were investigated by the Senate Homeland Security and Finance Committees in 2020, and it was discovered that at least four large transactions were flagged as “potential criminal activity” by banks to the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.

One of the odd transactions was a $100,000 payment to Hunter’s legal firm, Owasco, from a subsidiary of CEFC China Energy, which was controlled by Chinese billionaire Ye Jianming at the time. Hunter has yet to face any criminal charges.