The former prosecutor who was accused of obstructing the investigation of Hunter Biden by allegedly working to “limit” any questions about the “Big Guy,” President Joe Biden, insisted during her interview with the House Judiciary Committee that politics didn’t play a role in the investigation of the first son.
As BizPac Review previously reported, IRS Special Agent Gary Shapley and IRS Criminal Investigator Joseph Ziegler testified this summer that they were told to steer clear of the president’s grandkids — a “completely abnormal” request, given they were following up on payments Hunter made involving his children, including tuition to Colombia University.
Then-Assistant United States Attorney Lesley Wolf warned the men they would get into “hot water” if they dug into the matter.
Whistleblower drops bombshell claim that DOJ told IRS to avoid ‘hot water’ by not interviewing some Biden fam https://t.co/wL4W24bfWj pic.twitter.com/Dll9CABKN3
— BPR (@BIZPACReview) June 27, 2023
Earlier this month, it was revealed that Wolf quietly left her position at the Department of Justice.
According to a transcript reviewed by Fox News Digital, Wolf told the committee that, given the ongoing nature of the federal criminal investigation into Hunter Biden, she would “not be permitted to answer most of the questions you have for me.”
Following negotiations with the Justice Department surrounding the terms, Wolf voluntarily responded to a subpoena by the House Judiciary Committee to appear for a transcribed deposition.
She assured the committee that “at no time did politics play a role in or in any way impact my work as a federal prosecutor.”
Prosecutorial decisions, she stated, were “never made in a vacuum and were always guided by principles of justice and fairness.”
“My voluntary appearance here today is not without an overwhelming feeling of frustration and disappointment because as much as I would invite the opportunity to explain the decisions made and accurately describe the actions taken, I will not be permitted to answer most of the questions you have for me,” Wolf said. “It should come as no surprise to the committee that as a former DOJ employee, I am significantly constrained by and must strictly adhere to the authorization provided by the Department of Justice, as well as those obligations independently imposed by the Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure, including rule 6e, and the relevant laws governing disclosure of tax information.”
“[I]n light of the ongoing nature of the investigation,” Wolf said she was “legally obligated at this time to largely remain silent as to those allegations, beyond stating the truth, which is, at all times while serving as an AUSA, I acted consistently with the Justice Manual, DOJ policy directives, and my statutory legal and ethical obligations.”
“I followed the facts where they led and made decisions in the best interests of the investigation,” Wolf said. “This includes, but is by no means limited to, policies and rules governing politically sensitive investigations, election year sensitivities, attorney search warrants, search warrant filter requirements, and professional conduct rules barring contact with represented parties.”
According to Fox News Digital, investigators did not ask Wolf about the specific allegation brought by Shapley and Ziegler.
Still, answers to the investigators’ questions were met with Wolf’s claim that she was not at liberty to respond.
The IRS whistleblowers also alleged that, in October 2020, Wolf wouldn’t allow a physical search warrant to be served on Hunter Biden’s residence, despite agreeing “that probable cause had been achieved.”
According to Shapley, Wolf said that “optics were a driving factor in the decision on whether to execute a search warrant.”
Though she agreed that “a lot of evidence in our investigation would be found in the guest house of former Vice President Biden,” Shapley said, Wolf declared that “there is no way we will get that approved.”
“Wolf also allegedly tipped off Hunter Biden’s legal team ahead of a planned search of his storage unit,” Fox News Digital reports.
Though Wolf did confirm that the “Political Figure 1” mentioned in an email exchange she had with FBI Special Agent Joshua Wilson is “described as former Vice President Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr., now President Biden,” the former prosecutor refused to explain why she told Wilson that “There should be nothing about political figure 1 in here.”
“To the extent you didn’t–you asked the agents to take out political figure 1, there was no political motivation in requesting that?” she was asked.
Wolf responded: “I refer you back to my opening statement where I said at no time there was politics playing a role in those decisions.”
Following her interview, a frustrated House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said Wolf “refused to answer most of our questions.”
“She refused to answer,” Jordan said, “based on instructions she was given from the Justice Department.”
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
Melissa Fine is the former executive editor of Casino Player, Strictly Slots, and Poker
Digest magazines. She is a UCLA graduate, news junkie, and dedicated Stargate SG-
1 fan. Melissa currently lives with her dog and two cats in a tiny town in the Sierra
Nevada foothills.
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