David Weiss, the U.S. attorney tasked with investigating Hunter Biden, has offered to testify publicly before Congress this fall, according to a letter the Department of Justice sent House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan on Monday.
“The Department believes it is strongly in the public interest for the American people and for Congress to hear directly from U.S. Attorney Weiss on these assertions and questions about his authority at a public hearing,” Assistant Attorney General Carlos Felipe Uriarte wrote in the letter, obtained by NBC News.
Weiss would be available to testify on Sept. 27, Sept. 28, Oct. 18 and Oct. 19, Uriarte wrote, adding that “the most appropriate time for any testimony on these subjects is after the matter is closed.”
A spokesperson for Jordan did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment.
House Republicans last month demanded testimony from Justice Department and IRS officials about allegations from whistleblowers that there was improper meddling in the investigation of Hunter Biden.
Jordan and the chairs of the House Oversight and Ways and Means committees sought interviews with over a dozen officials involved in the probe of the president’s son, including Weiss.
The demand by House Republicans came after Weiss, a Trump administration holdover, announced that he had reached a plea agreement with Hunter Biden on tax-related charges after a sprawling five-year investigation. Biden agreed to plead guilty to two federal misdemeanor counts of failing to pay his taxes. He also faces a separate felony gun possession charge that is likely to be dismissed if he meets certain conditions, according to court documents.
IRS whistleblowers alleged that Weiss sought authority to charge Hunter Biden with broader charges in Washington and California than the tax-related misdemeanors the president’s son agreed to plead guilty to.
According to a 212-page transcript of his interview, IRS employee Gary Shapley said Attorney General Merrick Garland falsely asserted to Congress in earlier testimony that Weiss, who is based in Delaware, had the authority to charge in other jurisdictions, including California and Washington, D.C. Shapley said bringing charges in those districts is not something the U.S. attorneys there, who were appointed by President Joe Biden, would do.
The Justice Department denied the allegations from IRS whistleblowers.
In a letter to Jordan, Weiss denied that the Justice Department retaliated against IRS officials “for making protected disclosures to Congress.” He also said he believes he could file charges outside his home district if the investigation leads in that direction.
In the letter, Weiss didn’t directly address claims that he was blocked from filing charges outside his home district, but insisted that he has been granted “ultimate authority” over the investigation into Hunter Biden, “including responsibility for deciding where, when and whether to file charges.”
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
