Grassley: Whistleblowers Report That DOJ Downplayed Hunter Biden Evidence in 2020

 

written by jonathan turley

thursday july 28, 2022

My recent column explored whether time is running out for Hunter Biden. The answer may be “no” if Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) is right about what whistleblowers are telling him about the investigation.  CBS is reporting that “highly credible” whistleblowers informed him that officials within the FBI and the Justice Department are downplaying or dismissing negative evidence on Hunter Biden. Given the documented bias of the FBI and DOJ during the Russian collusion investigation, such allegations must be considered seriously given the baffling refusal of Attorney General Merrick Garland to appoint a Special Counsel.

Grassley, the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, wrote FBI Director Christopher Wray and Attorney General Merrick Garland that:

The information provided to my office involves concerns about the FBI’s receipt and use of derogatory information relating to Hunter Biden, and the FBI’s false portrayal of acquired evidence as disinformation. The volume and consistency of these allegations substantiate their credibility and necessitate this letter.

What was particularly interesting were the dates referenced in the letter.  It indicated that the Justice Department had evidence on the alleged criminal conduct in 2020 before the election, but that a named supervisor allegedly spiked the investigation:

First, it’s been alleged that the FBI developed information in 2020 about Hunter Biden’s criminal financial and related activity. It is further alleged that in August 2020, FBI Supervisory Intelligence Analyst Brian Auten opened an assessment which was used by an FBI Headquarters (“FBI HQ”) team to improperly discredit negative Hunter Biden information as disinformation and caused investigative activity to cease.

During this period, 51 intelligence experts wrote a letter dismissing the laptop as likely “Russian disinformation.” The media echoed that claim to dismiss the allegations. According to Grassley, not only did the Justice Department have compelling evidence to justify an investigation but showed the same biased analysis flagged by the prior Russian collusion investigations.

Indeed, if the alleged whistleblower accounts are true, the Hunter Biden matter showed the same “all-hands-on-deck” profile as government, political, and media allies presented a unified front on the investigation.

Previously, Sen. Grassley accused Timothy Thibault, the senior FBI agent at the bureau’s Washington Field Office, of possibly violating “[f]ederal laws, regulations and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) guidelines” in response to Hunter Biden evidence of wrongdoing.

With a possible Republican takeover of one or both houses of Congress, these questions could be pursued after November. It will then be interesting if the Justice Department will show the same commitment to contempt prosecutions if GOP subpoenas are disregarded by targeted individuals.

Reprinted with permission from JonathanTurley.org.

http://ronpaulinstitute.org/archives/featured-articles/2022/july/28/grassley-whistleblowers-report-that-doj-downplayed-hunter-biden-evidence-in-2020/