The House Judiciary Committee interviewed senior FBI agent Thomas Sobocinski, who oversees the FBI team investigating Hunter Biden, and he disputed the claims of two of the House Republicans’ “whistleblowers,” which is a major problem for the Republicans because they made their unproven and unsubstantiated accusations against President Biden about the investigation into his son.
Sobocinski, the FBI agent leading the investigation into Hunter Biden, “disputed whistleblowers’ claims that the prosecutor responsible for the investigation was stymied by the Justice Department, according to the transcript of an interview with lawmakers that took place last week and was obtained by The Washington Post.”
Senior FBI agent overseeing Hunter Biden investigation doesn’t remember many of House ‘whistleblower’ allegations
“Significant portions of Sobocinski’s interview with lawmakers focused on an October 7, 2022 meeting that Gary Shapley, one of the IRS whistleblowers, previously described to lawmakers,” the statement said. WashingtonPost reported Tuesday evening.
Republican “whistleblower” Gary Shapley said that Delaware US Attorney David Weiss (appointed by Trump) told investigators that he did not have the authority to bring certain criminal charges against Hunter Biden, but the transcript of the interview provided by the Post was obtained ‘pushed back on some of those claims. …but Thomas Sobocinski, who heads the FBI team involved in the investigation, agreed with the IRS whistleblowers that Weiss had moved slowly in making a charging decision.
So Weiss, appointed by Trump, slowly moved to charge the president’s son with alleged crimes that normally go uncharged. Hey.
“Shapley said that during that meeting, Weiss told FBI and IRS agents that Weiss was not the “decisive official on whether charges will be filed.” But Sobocinski, who was also there, said he didn’t hear Weiss say that and “never felt that.” [Weiss] approval” to file charges.”
“I never thought there was anyone other than David Weiss to say no,” Sobocinski said, noting that he did not hear Weiss say what the “whistleblower” claims Weiss, a Trump appointee, said in the same meeting .
Also… “Sobocinski said he was not aware of several other claims Shapley had made about the October 7 meeting, including that Weiss informed the group that DC U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves would not allow Weiss Hunter Biden would sue for tax violations in the United States. capital.”
It is very strange that Sobocinski would not remember these key allegations made by the whistleblower, but he did acknowledge that he had not taken any notes during the meeting, while Shapley “memorized his findings from the meeting in notes and an email later that day . ”
Even if, and this is a big if, Shapley was right about what he claims to have heard, that doesn’t mean Weiss actually did anything to interfere, let alone the president — and indeed the fact that charges were filed against him. all because of felony tax charges that aren’t usually prosecuted, and a gun statute that’s currently being fought out in court and isn’t usually charged, says that no one of note has tried to interfere in Hunter Biden’s case.
Second whistleblower taken down
Furthermore, the transcript poked holes in the second “whistleblower,” Joseph Zeigler’s claims. “Sobocinski, who joined the Hunter Biden investigation in 2021, said he was not aware of or remembered conversations in which FBI officials working on the case lobbied for the appointment of a special counsel — another claim by Ziegler .”
The Post characterized the interview transcript as showing Sobocinski being frustrated with how long things were taking in the Hunter Biden case, so he’s not presenting himself as some sort of Hunter Biden cheerleader.
This is very damaging to an already pathetic excuse for impeachment
Republican Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO) said “The time for impeachment is the time when there is evidence linking President Biden, if there is evidence linking President Biden to a serious crime or misdemeanor,” but the evidence “does not exist at this time.”
In the context of the Republicans in the House of Representatives initiating impeachment proceedings without having any evidence on which to base them, it is striking that their already weak excuse for the accusations of these two ‘whistleblowers’ is not substantiated by another person present. deep wounds. Because the point isn’t, “Is there something here?” But since this is being used to justify impeachment, the question is rather, “Is this evidence of high crimes and misdemeanors?”
This is not even a hint of serious crimes and misdemeanors. This is not even a dream about serious crimes and misdemeanors.
The Hunter Situation:
although Legal experts have said the tax and gun charges against Hunter Biden typically go uncharged as the “federal law making it illegal for a drug addict to own a gun faces legal challenges” and the “felony tax charges also rarely result in jail time,” and the deal he worked for It was more intense than normal that deal fell apart.
This is all about crime taxes and the fact that Hunter Biden is an addict who owned a gun. If you’re familiar with the Republicans’ usual stance on the IRS and gun control, your head might be exploding right now. But hypocrisy isn’t even a speed bump these days.
So Hunter Biden, who has suffered from drug addiction, is already being made a bit of a scapegoat in the attempt to get to this father, but that is not enough for Donald Trump. Trump wants impeachment, even without reason. So Republicans are trying to tie Hunter Biden to his father Joe Biden, claiming he used his father’s name to make deals for himself abroad (oddly, Republicans aren’t trying to ensure that presidents’ adult children cannot trade power abroad. Nor are they investigating Trump’s adult children, who snubbed a $2 billion deal with the Saudis shortly after leaving the White House).
They have also cited these two “whistleblowers” as some sort of proof that President Biden interfered with the investigation, even though Donald Trump’s appointee said Biden had given him exclusive authority.
It seems like if Biden had gotten involved, his child wouldn’t be charged with something that wouldn’t normally be charged. But I don’t think logic has a place in the Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives.