Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, appeared walking into a Delaware courtroom Wednesday morning, where he is expected to plead guilty to misdemeanor tax crimes and admit to illegally possessing a firearm as a drug user.
The anticipated pleas are part of a deal with the U.S. Department of Justice that will likely prevent him from serving time behind bars. Instead, Trump-appointed Judge Maryellen Noreika is expected to recommend he enter a two-year probationary program.
However, some Republicans in Congress are seeking to block the deal, saying the investigation into Biden’s crimes was likely tainted by the White House. The House Ways and Means Committee filed court documents Tuesday, urging Judge Noreika to consider testimony from IRS whistleblowers who claim there was interference into the investigation.
SEE MORE: Donald Trump Jr: Hunter Biden’s plea deal ‘reeks of favoritism’
Under terms announced last month, Biden is expected to plead guilty to two misdemeanor charges for not paying more than $100,000 in taxes on his 2017 and 2018 salary, which exceeded $1.5 million. Biden is also charged with possessing a gun while being a known drug user in 2018.
Republicans claim he was given preferential treatment by the Justice Department while former President Donald Trump the GOP presidential front-runner faces multiple indictments related to his handling of classified documents and alleged hush money payments in New York.
In the letter to several members of Congress, the IRS whistleblowers attorney, Mark Lytle, writes, “Despite serious risks of retaliation, my client is offering to provide you with the information necessary to exercise your constitutional oversight function and wishes to make the disclosures in a non-partisan manner to leadership of the relevant committees on both sides of the political aisle.”
In the letter, first obtained by The Wall Street Journal, Lytle also says his client has worked for the IRS for more than a decade and claims to have information about alleged political interference in the ongoing probe.
So far, neither Hunter Biden’s legal team nor the IRS have commented on the report.
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