Former Attorney General William Barr said Saturday that President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, is likely to face “serious charges” from a Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation.
The Justice Department has launched a multi-year investigation into Hunter Biden for alleged tax violations and making false statements when purchasing firearms. Barr, who was acting attorney general at the time the investigation opened, appeared on CBS News to give his take on the investigation.
Barr said recent meetings between federal prosecutors, Delaware state officials and Hunter Biden’s lawyers do not indicate that Justice Department officials are “close to deciding to indict” in the case. said.
“There were probably a lot of fights in different places, but I think the defense went into the scene to figure out how to resolve this issue without indicting Hunter Biden with serious charges.” said he. “I fear they will fail.”
Newsweek I emailed Hunter Biden’s attorney’s office for comment.
Barr added that the tax lawsuit against the president’s son is likely to take longer because it is “complex” and requires coordination with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It’s also because the Justice Department may be investigating allegations of corruption against Hunter, he added. Biden by Republicans.
In addition to the Justice Department investigation, Hunter Biden faces legal scrutiny from House Republicans over his foreign business dealings. Republicans have accused his father of dealing with foreign companies, including those affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), under corruption charges while he was vice president from 2009 to 2017 under former President Barack Obama. He said it should be investigated.
Barr said he shared concerns about “abuse of power” by Hunter Biden, but questioned whether he would ultimately be convicted in court.
“There’s a difference between abuse of power, shameful behavior while in power, and what can actually be criminalized,” Barr said Saturday. “I have joined the conclusion that there has been a lot of shameful self-dealing, influence sales, etc. I think the American public should be careful. It should be explained and shown to the American public. Crime.” The question of whether it is possible to prove
Barr’s remarks come as the Justice Department faces renewed criticism over how it handled the Hunter Biden probe.
Gary Shapley, a whistleblower and 14-year IRS veteran, told CBS News this week that several stages of the investigation were “slowly progressing” or “not fully completed.” ‘ said. The investigation began during the presidency of former President Donald Trump and was carried over into the Biden administration. But to avoid suspicion of a conflict of interest, Trump-era investigators continued to lead the investigation.
“When I directed this particular investigation, I could immediately see a deviation from the normal process, which was well outside the norm of what I had experienced in the past,” Shapley told CBS News. rice field.
According to CBS News, Shapley works as a Supervising Special Agent in the Bureau’s Criminal Investigations Division, where he oversees a team of 12 investigators investigating international tax and financial crimes. He was put in charge of the Hunter Biden case in January 2020 and began documenting his concerns around June of the same year.
Meanwhile, reports surfaced in October that federal investigators believed they had enough evidence to charge Hunter Biden, but the charges were delayed after the November midterm elections to avoid election interference. was expected to take place. But months later, the Justice Department has yet to issue a complaint.