WASHINGTON — The House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday subpoenaed a top deputy to the special counsel investigating Hunter Biden as part of the Republican impeachment inquiry into the president.
Lesley Wolf, a top prosecutor from U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware David Weiss’ office, was asked to appear for testimony before the GOP-led committee on Dec. 7 in a subpoena reviewed by NBC News. Weiss, a Trump appointee, was named special counsel in the Hunter Biden investigation in August.
In a letter accompanying the subpoena, House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said Wolf was “directly involved in that office’s investigation of Hunter Biden” and that the probe “deviated from standard investigative procedures,” according to testimony from two IRS whistleblowers.
Given her role in the Biden investigation, Jordan said in the letter obtained by NBC News, Wolf is “uniquely situated” to advance the panel’s impeachment inquiry.
Wolf and a spokesperson for the Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday night.
The interview request comes months after Biden’s plea deal with federal prosecutors unraveled when the presiding judge in the case raised concerns about the agreement’s terms.
Weiss, who had requested and was granted special counsel status following the failed plea deal, is overseeing Biden’s indictment on gun charges.
Earlier this month, Weiss took part in a closed-door voluntary interview with the Republican-led Judiciary Committee, telling the panel that he was not thwarted from advancing charges against the president’s son after IRS whistleblowers publicly testified that Weiss told investigators that he lacked authority to bring charges in the case.
Jordan has issued a series of subpoenas tied to the impeachment inquiry, casting a wide net that has included Biden family members and other administration officials.
White House counsel Richard Sauber demanded the withdrawal of those subpoenas last week, calling them them “unjustified,” while describing the impeachment inquiry as “illegitimate.”
Ali Vitali reported from Washington, Zoë Richards from New York.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
