The stuff Hunter Biden didn't get indicted for

[Auburnfan91 1,407]

The stuff Hunter Biden didn't get indicted for

by Byron York, Chief Political Correspondent  June 26, 2023 01:10 PM

 

 

THE STUFF HUNTER BIDEN DIDN'T GET INDICTED FOR. There's no doubt Hunter Biden had some serious tax problems. In the 2010s, he took in millions from shady overseas business dealings, trading on the name of his father, then-Vice President Joe Biden, and had a history of filing his returns late with six-figure amounts of taxes due. There was also his lowlife, high-cost drug addict lifestyle in which he threw away hundreds of thousands of dollars on prostitutes and crack. He had personal financial problems most people don't share.

Last week, Hunter Biden agreed to plead guilty to two misdemeanor counts of failing to pay his taxes on time. Republicans quickly dismissed it as a sweetheart deal, and they were right. IRS investigators, who did the key work in the investigation, wanted to charge Hunter Biden with felonies. The Justice Department disagreed, choosing instead to reduce the charges to misdemeanors. But those two misdemeanors do not describe the full extent of Biden's tax transgressions.

For the story, it's best to go to two transcripts released last week by the House Ways and Means Committee. The first was from IRS whistleblower Gary Shapley, who oversaw the Biden investigation. Shapley's testimony has received a good bit of attention, in part because he revealed a remarkable WhatsApp message from July 30, 2017, in which Hunter Biden pressured a Chinese business associate for money by threatening to have his father, by then the former vice president, use his influence to retaliate against the associate if the money was not delivered. Hunter Biden said his father was "sitting next to me" as he made the threat, which, if true, would mean that Joe Biden was not telling the truth when he repeatedly denied knowledge of his son's business affairs.

That was big. But there is a second IRS whistleblower whose testimony was also released last week. This whistleblower, who is anonymous, was the lead case agent for the Hunter Biden investigation. As such, he had a detailed, hands-on knowledge of the evidence in the case. He is the IRS agent who would have testified against Hunter Biden had any case against him gone to trial.

This agent — call him WB2, for whistleblower No. 2 — told House investigators a remarkable story. It started with Hunter Biden before his father became vice president, before becoming a crack addict. "Hunter Biden had had a lot of tax issues, even predating all this stuff," WB2 testified. "Back in 2002, he filed his Form 1040 late — filing and owing over $100,000 in taxes; 2003, owed more than $100,000 in taxes; 2004, late-filed and owed more than $20,000 in taxes; and then 2005, late-filed his personal return and owed over $100,000 in taxes."

Fast-forward to 2014, when Joe Biden was vice president and a corrupt Ukrainian energy company, Burisma, put Hunter Biden on its board of directors. According to WB2, Burisma paid Hunter Biden $666,667 that year to do little or no work. Hunter Biden received the money, WB2 explained, and then moved it to a Chinese company run by one of his associates. That company then "loaned" the money to Hunter Biden.

 

"So imagine this," WB2 said. "If you are an owner of a company and your friend tells you that, 'I want to pay my wages to your company, and you're going to loan the money back to me,' that's essentially what happened here. He took loans from that corporation ... and he didn't pay taxes on those loans. ... So essentially, for 2014, we found that Hunter didn't report any of the money he earned from Burisma." The problem, WB2 said, was: "You can't loan yourself your own income."

A House Republican lawyer asked: "So none of this was taxed?" WB2 responded: "None of it was taxed." The lawyer said: "And to date, none of it has been paid or prosecuted?" WB2 responded: "So none of this has been paid or prosecuted. And I would also like to note that the statute [of limitations] has run out on these tax years or on the 2014 tax year." The year 2014 was not part of the misdemeanor charges against Hunter Biden. As far as the IRS and Justice Department are concerned, that's all over.

In an extremely complex arrangement, Hunter Biden did pay some of his taxes on Burisma money in 2015. But then, in 2016, Hunter Biden did not file a personal return at all and did not pay the $581,713 he owed in taxes, according to WB2. Hunter Biden moved to California, entered his drug addict years, and did not file tax returns for 2017 or 2018, either. In 2019, he got sober and faced a child support case for a child he had had with a former stripper in Arkansas. He hired a new accountant and, in February 2020, filed his 2017 and 2018 returns, according to WB2.

The 2018 return, WB2 said, contained false claims for deductions. "Some of the items that he deducted were personal no-show employees," WB2 said. "He deducted payments that were made to who he called his West Coast assistant, but she was essentially a prostitute. He made payments — there's an $18,000 wire that is made to one of these individuals, and on the wires, they say $8,000 in wage and $10,000 in golf — $10,000 golf club member deposit. And we know that that $10,000 went to pay for a sex club. He went to a sex club — and we've talked to the person that owned that sex club, and they confirmed that he was there. And the [sex club member] has to pay $10,000 ... so that was deducted on the tax return."

Hunter Biden also "deducted expenses for hotel rooms for one of his drug dealers or what we believed to be one of his drug dealers," WB2 added. "There was a significant amount of expenses deducted related to his girlfriend at the time, Airbnbs related to her, hotel rooms. So he deducted a lot for the Chateau Marmont, and he actually was blacklisted and thrown out of the Chateau Marmont. We actually have ... photos of the rooms and the destruction that was done to the rooms."

In those years, Hunter Biden was in full flight when it came to profiting from his father's name and influence. The money wasn't just coming from Ukraine. It was coming from all over the world. "Global income streams for everyone altogether, so it's for the period 2014 through 2019, our investigative years, so the total global transfers that Hunter and his associates would have received from Ukraine, Romania, and China was $17.3 million, approximately," WB2 said. But that was for everyone involved in the Hunter Biden enterprise. As for Hunter Biden himself, WB2 said: "Of this amount, for the period 2014 through ... the end of 2019 — that's when income stops coming in — it's $8.3 million. This is what Hunter would have received of that." That's the bottom line for Hunter Biden's foreign income during that period: $8.3 million.

 

The IRS investigation began in 2018. "The investigation into Hunter Biden, code name Sportsman, was first opened in November 2018 as an offshoot of an investigation the IRS was conducting into a foreign-based amateur online pornography platform," Shapley told House investigators.

By the time his father was the Democratic candidate for president, Hunter Biden owed a lot of unpaid taxes. By Shapley's estimation, the total owed was $2.2 million. Since 2014, Hunter Biden has sometimes failed to file his returns, has failed to pay tons of tax, and has fraudulently claimed deductions for payments to prostitutes. How could he get out of such a situation?

One big step would be to pay off all his taxes and penalties. Many news accounts of the Hunter Biden story have noted that prosecutors are less likely to charge a person who has committed tax crimes if that person ultimately paid off his or her bill. The idea is that a jury would ask: Hey, this guy has paid what he owes, so why are you putting him on trial? Hunter Biden could put himself in an infinitely better position if he paid the IRS what he owed. But that was $2.2 million. Where could Hunter Biden get $2.2 million?

Enter Kevin Morris. A wealthy Hollywood celebrity lawyer, Morris apparently met Hunter Biden at a political fundraiser in the 2019-20 period. And then, when Joe Biden was in the White House, Morris paid the younger Biden's tax bill.

According to WB2, on his 2020 tax returns, Hunter Biden included a note: "The taxpayer received financial support from a personal friend totaling approximately $1.4 million. The parties agreed in 2020 to treat the support as a loan and later documented their agreement in a promissory note in the amount of $1.4 million, 5% interest. The promissory note requires periodic payments between 2025 and 2027. The promissory note was executed by both parties on October 13th, 2021. The taxpayer is treating this amount as a loan for tax purposes. The balance of the financial support is treated as a gift. No amount of the support is treated as a reported taxable event on this return."

In later months, Morris gave his friend even more money — approximately $800,00 more, bringing Morris's total payoff of Hunter Biden's tax liabilities to the full $2.2 million owed. The Morris money would serve as a roadblock to those IRS agents who wanted to prosecute Hunter Biden. "The payment could make it harder for prosecutors to win a conviction or a long sentence for tax-related offenses, according to tax law experts, since juries and judges tend to be more sympathetic to defendants who have paid their bills," the New York Times reported in 2022. Of course, Hunter Biden did not actually pay his bills. Morris did.

In WB2's testimony, a Republican lawyer asked about the Morris loans: "Has that transaction been investigated?" WB2 responded, "I'm no longer a part of an investigation related to that." As part of what the whistleblowers say is retaliation against them, top IRS officials removed both WB2 and Shapley from the Hunter Biden case.

And now the matter has been resolved with two misdemeanor charges. The conclusion is deeply frustrating to IRS agents like WB2. Hunter Biden failed to file returns, failed to pay his taxes for several years, and falsely claimed deductions. WB2 also pointed out, more than once, that Hunter Biden's tax offenses occurred over a period of years, some of which he was on drugs and some of which he was not, meaning that not all of the violations can be attributed to Hunter Biden's being in a drug-induced haze, as some defenders suggest. The agents' conclusion is that just because Hunter Biden's new friend bailed him out — no repayments required until 2025 — does not mean Hunter Biden did not violate the tax laws repeatedly in the 2010s.

At the end of WB2's deposition, a Republican lawyer asked this question: "If someone meets all the elements for a crime of willful evasion and are found to, in conjunction with that, owe a liability, and they pay off that liability years later when they've been caught, has a crime been committed?" WB2 answered simply: "Yes."

 

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/stuff-hunter-biden-didnt-get-indicted

[DKW 86 7,481]

https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/f4b760cf-7f29-4e5b-a5d4-3b674a705c7c

 

[AU9377 5,136]

Why do people not understand that crimes charged are subject to differing statues of limitations?  I'm not taking the time to look them up individually, but I am confident that many of the things alleged above are outside the 10, 6 or 5 year marks.

[KansasTiger 3,261]

[AU9377 5,136]

Hannity will soon claim that Hunter always stores his phone in the same storage compartment as everyone that takes a public White House tour.

Even more ridiculous is evacuating the White House when the fire dept had a field test kit that indicated the substance was cocaine before they even left the room where it was discovered.  We do love some over kill these days.

[Auburnfan91 1,407]

18 hours ago, AU9377 said:

Why do people not understand that crimes charged are subject to differing statues of limitations?  I'm not taking the time to look them up individually, but I am confident that many of the things alleged above are outside the 10, 6 or 5 year marks.

Uhhh..... This is the crux of the IRS whistleblower's claims.

The whistleblower explained that Weiss didn't or couldn't bring charges at the time so it allowed the statue of limitations to lapse for the potential felonies.

[AU9377 5,136]

5 hours ago, Auburnfan91 said:

Uhhh..... This is the crux of the IRS whistleblower's claims.

The whistleblower explained that Weiss didn't or couldn't bring charges at the time so it allowed the statue of limitations to lapse for the potential felonies.

If only it was the "whistleblower's" job to analyze a case and decide which charges should and should not be brought.  

Even if that was factual, which we have no real proof that it was, it just doesn't add up.  The felony charges wouldn't have all had the same statue of limitations drop date. In addition to that, every party responsible for making charging decisions has publicly stated that there was no interference on the part of the AG concerning Weiss and his authority to bring whatever charge he desired wherever he decided to charge. 

[DKW 86 7,481]

STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS.

Please folks, load Grammarly up.

I am the only one that is allowed to be THe King of Fat-Fingered Commentary. lol

[Auburnfan91 1,407]

On 7/5/2023 at 10:41 PM, AU9377 said:

If only it was the "whistleblower's" job to analyze a case and decide which charges should and should not be brought.  

Even if that was factual, which we have no real proof that it was, it just doesn't add up.  The felony charges wouldn't have all had the same statue of limitations drop date. In addition to that, every party responsible for making charging decisions has publicly stated that there was no interference on the part of the AG concerning Weiss and his authority to bring whatever charge he desired wherever he decided to charge. 

The whistleblower was on the investigative team conducting the investigation of Hunter Biden's taxes. It was part of his job to know what the statute of limitations were because they send a report to the DOJ Tax Division to recommend charges that would be signed off on and then sent to the District Attorney to try and prosecute.

This is from the whistleblower's testimony:

 

Has the Tax Division denied sending or presenting a memo to the U.S. Attorney's Office in D.C.?

David Weiss, Matthew Graves, and Merrick Garland can deny claims all they want, if there was a memo from the Tax Division sent to the U.S. Attorney's Office in D.C. recommending charges for Hunter Biden's taxes in 2014 and 2015 then all their denials will be proven false.

[AU9377 5,136]

2 hours ago, Auburnfan91 said:

The whistleblower was on the investigative team conducting the investigation of Hunter Biden's taxes. It was part of his job to know what the statute of limitations were because they send a report to the DOJ Tax Division to recommend charges that would be signed off on and then sent to the District Attorney to try and prosecute.

This is from the whistleblower's testimony:

 

Has the Tax Division denied sending or presenting a memo to the U.S. Attorney's Office in D.C.?

David Weiss, Matthew Graves, and Merrick Garland can deny claims all they want, if there was a memo from the Tax Division sent to the U.S. Attorney's Office in D.C. recommending charges for Hunter Biden's taxes in 2014 and 2015 then all their denials will be proven false.

That is NOT how it works.  IRS agents can recommend charges all they want, but the decision is made by the U.S. Attorney and the DOJ.  You have no idea what factors went into the Weiss decision not to charge on those particular years.  Weiss requested that these agents be removed from the case due to their actions.  Regardless of how you look at it, Hunter Biden was a first time offender that had paid the taxes and penalties.  It isn't often that someone in those circumstances actually gets jail time.  In fact, it is extremely unlikely for anyone to serve time with those facts.  In the end, all this horse and pony show will end like all the others have ended. Dudd.

[Auburnfan91 1,407]

46 minutes ago, AU9377 said:

That is NOT how it works.  IRS agents can recommend charges all they want, but the decision is made by the U.S. Attorney and the DOJ.  You have no idea what factors went into the Weiss decision not to charge on those particular years.  Weiss requested that these agents be removed from the case due to their actions.  Regardless of how you look at it, Hunter Biden was a first time offender that had paid the taxes and penalties.  It isn't often that someone in those circumstances actually gets jail time.  In fact, it is extremely unlikely for anyone to serve time with those facts.  In the end, all this horse and pony show will end like all the others have ended. Dudd.

The DOJ Tax Division signed off the investigative team recommendations and presented it where it got stalled and the statute of limitations on the more serious charges for 2014 and 2015 were allowed to run out. 

Yeah, Hunter Biden is only a first time offender because he's never been held accountable for anything before. He gets it all dealt with in one fell swoop where he just gets misdemeanors and doesn't have to pay taxes for 2014.

If Hunter Biden wouldn't have served time for the 2014 and 205 felony charges then why were they not included? Weiss won't explain why he didn't bring charges for 2014 or 2015. He's just denying that he couldn't bring charges.

[AU9377 5,136]

11 hours ago, Auburnfan91 said:

The DOJ Tax Division signed off the investigative team recommendations and presented it where it got stalled and the statute of limitations on the more serious charges for 2014 and 2015 were allowed to run out. 

Yeah, Hunter Biden is only a first time offender because he's never been held accountable for anything before. He gets it all dealt with in one fell swoop where he just gets misdemeanors and doesn't have to pay taxes for 2014.

If Hunter Biden wouldn't have served time for the 2014 and 205 felony charges then why were they not included? Weiss won't explain why he didn't bring charges for 2014 or 2015. He's just denying that he couldn't bring charges.

Isn't the real point something else?  You all were promised that there was some massive criminal conspiracy afloat.  When Weiss didn't find any evidence of that,  instead finding some tax evasion charges and nothing else illegal, you immediately assumed that there was a cover up underway. 

Biden didn't have to allow Weiss to continue in his post as U.S. Attorney.  Trump certainly would not have done the same.  However, he did in order to not be seen as interfering in this investigation.  Of course, this proves that there is no such thing as trying to reason with unreasonable people.  If House Republicans, especially the "Freedom Caucus" , would stop promising fairy tale level conspiracies and right wing media would stop promoting every single one of them, you would be much less disappointed in the outcomes.

[Auburnfan91 1,407]

9 hours ago, AU9377 said:

Isn't the real point something else?  You all were promised that there was some massive criminal conspiracy afloat.  When Weiss didn't find any evidence of that,  instead finding some tax evasion charges and nothing else illegal, you immediately assumed that there was a cover up underway. 

Biden didn't have to allow Weiss to continue in his post as U.S. Attorney.  Trump certainly would not have done the same.  However, he did in order to not be seen as interfering in this investigation.  Of course, this proves that there is no such thing as trying to reason with unreasonable people.  If House Republicans, especially the "Freedom Caucus" , would stop promising fairy tale level conspiracies and right wing media would stop promoting every single one of them, you would be much less disappointed in the outcomes.

If you read the whistleblower's testimony you'd find out that investigators were prohibited from using enforcement operations and were denied the ability to conduct investigative steps that could have ensnared Joe Biden, like the WhatsApp message. Investigators wanted to obtain a search warrant for Joe Biden's guest house in Deleware but were denied because of "optics".

It's easy to say there's no evidence when you're not allowed to look at where a trail leads you.

[AU9377 5,136]

4 hours ago, Auburnfan91 said:

If you read the whistleblower's testimony you'd find out that investigators were prohibited from using enforcement operations and were denied the ability to conduct investigative steps that could have ensnared Joe Biden, like the WhatsApp message. Investigators wanted to obtain a search warrant for Joe Biden's guest house in Deleware but were denied because of "optics".

It's easy to say there's no evidence when you're not allowed to look at where a trail leads you.

Those are unsupported assumptions.  The WhatsApp message is a prime example.  Joe Biden wasn't in any elected office at the time that message was sent.  The IRS investigators need to better understand what probable cause is required to get that warrant.  That message alone is certainly not probable cause to believe that any definable crime has been committed.  If we assumed that Joe was sitting there, what crime does that evidence? 

The criminal conduct they were investigating did not give those "whistleblowers" the authority to go chasing any and every hunch down a rabbit hole.  The U.S. Attorney was directing the investigation, not these agents.  Weiss had access to everything connected to Hunter Biden and didn't find evidence showing any sort of criminal activity that included the President.    I suppose  the House Republicans will simply keep chasing their tails around the big oak tree until something with more juice comes along.

[DKW 86 7,481]

9 hours ago, AU9377 said:

Those are unsupported assumptions.  The WhatsApp message is a prime example.  Joe Biden wasn't in any elected office at the time that message was sent.  The IRS investigators need to better understand what probable cause is required to get that warrant.  That message alone is certainly not probable cause to believe that any definable crime has been committed.  If we assumed that Joe was sitting there, what crime does that evidence? 

The criminal conduct they were investigating did not give those "whistleblowers" the authority to go chasing any and every hunch down a rabbit hole.  The U.S. Attorney was directing the investigation, not these agents.  Weiss had access to everything connected to Hunter Biden and didn't find evidence showing any sort of criminal activity that included the President.    I suppose  the House Republicans will simply keep chasing their tails around the big oak tree until something with more juice comes along.

You are likely the most blindly singularly partisan person on this board...

https://www.ussc.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/research-and-publications/quick-facts/Tax_Fraud_FY16.pdf

Here are the real stats. Almost no one goes to jail for all this. But HB hadn't paid or filed from 2014-2019 inclusive. 

2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019

That is ******* nuts if you look at it. 6 years he just told the IRS to go **** themselves. We have just heard that "HB is doing better, he is moving past all his drama." Well, BS, he is being forced to straighten up because his daddy has an election coming, nothing more. When he had to be forced to appear in court for his last child, that told the American People all they need to know about HB. 

The DNC wants to everyone to see trump's taxes, I DO TOO. Why cant we see 100% of the tax fraud filing for HB too? He didn't even file taxes for half those years. 

HB DIDNT EVEN FILE HALF OF HIS TAXES. OF THOSE HE FILED, HE DIDNT PAY. He doesn't even get a slap on the wrist because his name is Biden. And that's what caused the problems in the first place. He family is too powerful to ever be held to account, AND HE KNOWS THAT. If you want trump held in account but not the Bidens, you are a SF, plain and simple.

HOLD EVERYONE TO THE SAME LAW.

Edited July 9, 2023 by DKW 86

[AU9377 5,136]

1 hour ago, DKW 86 said:

You are likely the most blindly singularly partisan person on this board...

https://www.ussc.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/research-and-publications/quick-facts/Tax_Fraud_FY16.pdf

Here are the real stats. Almost no one goes to jail for all this. But HB hadn't paid or filed from 2014-2019 inclusive. 

2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019

That is ******* nuts if you look at it. 6 years he just told the IRS to go **** themselves. We have just heard that "HB is doing better, he is moving past all his drama." Well, BS, he is being forced to straighten up because his daddy has an election coming, nothing more. When he had to be forced to appear in court for his last child, that told the American People all they need to know about HB. 

The DNC wants to everyone to see trump's taxes, I DO TOO. Why cant we see 100% of the tax fraud filing for HB too? He didn't even file taxes for half those years. 

HB DIDNT EVEN FILE HALF OF HIS TAXES. OF THOSE HE FILED, HE DIDNT PAY. He doesn't even get a slap on the wrist because his name is Biden. And that's what caused the problems in the first place. He family is too powerful to ever be held to account, AND HE KNOWS THAT. If you want trump held in account but not the Bidens, you are a SF, plain and simple.

HOLD EVERYONE TO THE SAME LAW.

I am not blindly partisan.  You however, love to say that you have contempt for everyone, while not recognizing any differences in the facts that make every set of circumstances uniquely its own.

You mention Trump and ask why Hunter Biden is not held to the same standard.  The answer is simple.  Hunter Biden is not a candidate.  Hunter Biden does not hold elected office. 

You allege above that he didn't even file taxes for all of those years.  From what we know, that isn't the case.  He may not have paid the correct amounts or failed to pay what was owed, but the failure to file was not relating to 2014 - 2016. To be honest, the majority of these type cases result in no criminal charges, provided that the taxes and penalties are paid and that the taxpayer is being cooperative.  He should have been charged and he was.

One thing we should never do in this country is accuse someone of something and then tell them to prove that they didn't do whatever it is they are accused of doing.  If evidence comes forward that shows criminal activity, I will be the first to say he is guilty.  Until that point, it is little more than political theater.    Again, Hunter Biden is not in elected office any more than Donald Jr.  I have at no time suggested doing an autopsy of the Trump kids and their finances, even though two of them were paid members of the Executive branch with offices in the White House, unlike Biden's son.

[DKW 86 7,481]

19 hours ago, AU9377 said:

I am not blindly partisan.  You however, love to say that you have contempt for everyone, while not recognizing any differences in the facts that make every set of circumstances uniquely its own.

You mention Trump and ask why Hunter Biden is not held to the same standard.  The answer is simple.  Hunter Biden is not a candidate.  Hunter Biden does not hold elected office. 

You allege above that he didn't even file taxes for all of those years.  From what we know, that isn't the case.  He may not have paid the correct amounts or failed to pay what was owed, but the failure to file was not relating to 2014 - 2016. To be honest, the majority of these type cases result in no criminal charges, provided that the taxes and penalties are paid and that the taxpayer is being cooperative.  He should have been charged and he was.

One thing we should never do in this country is accuse someone of something and then tell them to prove that they didn't do whatever it is they are accused of doing.  If evidence comes forward that shows criminal activity, I will be the first to say he is guilty.  Until that point, it is little more than political theater.    Again, Hunter Biden is not in elected office any more than Donald Jr.  I have at no time suggested doing an autopsy of the Trump kids and their finances, even though two of them were paid members of the Executive branch with offices in the White House, unlike Biden's son.

I did not say all werent filed. I said half of them weren't even filed. If anyone on this board did this we would be perp walked.

[aubaseball 2,673]

On 7/7/2023 at 7:13 PM, AU9377 said:

That is NOT how it works.  IRS agents can recommend charges all they want, but the decision is made by the U.S. Attorney and the DOJ.  You have no idea what factors went into the Weiss decision not to charge on those particular years.  Weiss requested that these agents be removed from the case due to their actions.  Regardless of how you look at it, Hunter Biden was a first time offender that had paid the taxes and penalties.  It isn't often that someone in those circumstances actually gets jail time.  In fact, it is extremely unlikely for anyone to serve time with those facts.  In the end, all this horse and pony show will end like all the others have ended. Dudd.

Ohhh….if only this attitude was the same with Trump.  It’s all anyone talked about for years.   Trumps tax returns.   Best I can figure is that one man had smart attorneys who knew the law and was able to beat the system legally, while on the other hand, we have someone that just flat out didn’t pay taxes and was able to get away with because of the statute of limitations ran out.   

Edited July 10, 2023 by aubaseball

[auburnatl1 5,248]

4 hours ago, aubaseball said:

Ohhh….if only this attitude was the same with Trump.  It’s all anyone talked about for years.   Trumps tax returns.   Best I can figure is that one man had smart attorneys who knew the law and was able to beat the system legally, while on the other hand, we have someone that just flat out didn’t pay taxes and was able to get away with because of the statute of limitations ran out.   

Not defending Biden or the “deep state” but trump was one of the most litigated against people in the entire US - before 2016.  The tax suspicion was inevitable. Draw your own conclusions but he’s a controversy  sh!tstorm magnet. Always has been. May be how he’s wired. For me, it’s fatiguing.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2016/06/01/donald-trump-lawsuits-legal-battles/84995854/

Edited July 10, 2023 by auburnatl1

[AU9377 5,136]

5 hours ago, aubaseball said:

Ohhh….if only this attitude was the same with Trump.  It’s all anyone talked about for years.   Trumps tax returns.   Best I can figure is that one man had smart attorneys who knew the law and was able to beat the system legally, while on the other hand, we have someone that just flat out didn’t pay taxes and was able to get away with because of the statute of limitations ran out.   

When did Hunter Biden run for President?  Donald Trump lied (surprise surprise) and claimed he was under audit so that the fact that he didn't pay taxes most years didn't come to light.  Joe Biden published his tax returns.

[aubaseball 2,673]

42 minutes ago, AU9377 said:

When did Hunter Biden run for President?  Donald Trump lied (surprise surprise) and claimed he was under audit so that the fact that he didn't pay taxes most years didn't come to light.  Joe Biden published his tax returns.

You’re right …he didn’t run, but the “big guy” sure did run.   And anyone with half a brain knows who the big guy was.   Big guy was getting some of that money on the side.   It’s ok though…I’m sure you and the others on here that’s up Trump arse are digging into this.   Let’s not let a little thing like politics get in way, let’s see some of that investigative reporting that you guys dig up all the time on the right turn and go the other way.   

[Auburnfan91 1,407]

On 7/8/2023 at 5:16 PM, Auburnfan91 said:

If you read the whistleblower's testimony you'd find out that investigators were prohibited from using enforcement operations and were denied the ability to conduct investigative steps that could have ensnared Joe Biden, like the WhatsApp message. Investigators wanted to obtain a search warrant for Joe Biden's guest house in Deleware but were denied because of "optics".

It's easy to say there's no evidence when you're not allowed to look at where a trail leads you.

To follow up on this, the IRS was NOT included in a meeting on October 23, 2020 that discussed the Joe Biden bribery allegations.

I'll say it again, you're not going to find evidence if you're not allowed to investigate it.

In this case the IRS wasn't even told about the Joe Biden bribery stuff, so of course they didn't investigate.

 

DOJ briefed Hunter Biden team on Joe Biden allegations, but excluded IRS agents: Grassley

The document contains allegations of a bribery scheme involving then-Vice President Joe Biden and a foreign national

By Brooke Singman | Fox News

 

The Justice Department briefed federal prosecutors and agents on the team investigating Hunter Biden on a key FBI document containing allegations of a criminal bribery scheme involving Joe Biden in October 2020, but did not invite IRS agents to that briefing, Sen. Chuck Grassley charged.

That accusation was leveled just weeks after IRS whistleblowers alleged that the entire federal investigation into Hunter Biden's business dealings was influenced by politics.

The document in question is an FBI-generated FD-1023 form. The form, dated June 30, 2020, reflects the FBI's interview with a "highly credible" confidential source who detailed multiple meetings and conversations he or she had with a top executive of Ukrainian natural gas firm Burisma Holdings over the course of several years, starting in 2015.

Hunter Biden sat on the board of Burisma, and the executive alleged a $5 million payment was made to Hunter and $5 million to Joe Biden in exchange for influence over policy decisions.

Grassley, R-Iowa, is now demanding answers from U.S. Attorney for Delaware David Weiss, who led the DOJ’s years-long investigation into Hunter Biden, on what steps were taken to investigate those allegations.

"Based on information provided to my office from individuals aware of the meeting on October 23, 2020, Justice Department and FBI Special Agents from the Pittsburgh Field Office briefed Assistant U.S. Attorney Lesley Wolf, one of your top prospectors, and FBI Special Agents from the Baltimore Field Office with respect to the contents of the FBI-generated FD-1023 form alleging a criminal bribery scheme involving then-Vice President Biden and Hunter Biden; however, the meeting did not include any IRS agents," Grassley wrote in a letter to Weiss.

Biden administration officials have rejected claims from IRS whistleblowers that the investigation into Hunter Biden has been politicized, and Attorney General Merrick Garland said Weiss was "given complete authority to make all decisions on his own behalf."

Grassley used his letter to press Weiss again on what steps have been taken to look into President Biden's son.

"Potentially hundreds of Justice Department and FBI officials have had access to the FD-1023 at issue, which begs the question that I’ve been asking since the start of my oversight in this matter: what steps have the Justice Department and FBI taken to investigate the allegations?" Grassley wrote. "You, Attorney General Garland, and Director Wray have failed to answer."

Grassley also highlighted IRS whistleblower Gary Shapley’s allegations against Assistant U.S. Attorney Lesely Wolf. Shapley claimed Wolf prevented investigators from seeking information about Joe Biden’s involvement in his son’s "criminal business arrangements" and said Wolf tried to "limit" questioning involving Joe Biden.

Shapley also alleged that Wolf admitted that there was "more than enough probable cause" to obtain a physical search warrant for Joe Biden’s guest house, but prevented it from being issued due to "optics." Wolf also allegedly tipped off Hunter Biden’s legal team ahead of a planned search of his storage unit.

"Did AUSA Wolf take similar proactive measures to frustrate any investigation into the FD-1023?" Grassley asked Weiss. "In light of AUSA Wolf’s alleged questionable and obstructive conduct during the course of your investigation, I’m seeking clarification from you with respect to your knowledge of these allegations and how you've handled them."

In the FD-1023, the Burisma executive alleged that he kept 17 audio recordings of his conversations with Joe Biden and Hunter Biden as an "insurance policy."

Grassley gave Weiss until July 21 to provide information on what investigative steps were taken on the key allegations.

Former Attorney General Bill Barr last month revealed that the FD-1023 form had been routed to Weiss. Sources told Fox News Digital that Weiss' team was briefed on the FD-1023 form in September 2020.

Sources familiar told Fox News Digital that the confidential human source believes that the $5 million payment to Joe Biden and the $5 million payment to Hunter Biden occurred, based on his or her conversations with the Burisma executive.

The Justice Department last month announced that the president’s son had entered a plea agreement that will likely keep him out of jail. Hunter Biden is set to plead guilty to two misdemeanor counts of willful failure to pay federal income tax, and to one charge of possession of a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance.

Hunter Biden is expected to make his first court appearance on July 26.

 

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/doj-briefed-hunter-biden-team-joe-biden-allegations-excluded-irs-agents-grassley