The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has refuted the recent allegations made by House GOP impeachment investigators. These investigators had accused the agency of interfering in the probe of Hunter Biden, aiming to prevent an interview with one of his associates.
House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and House Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) recently wrote a letter to the agency, stating that they had a conversation with a whistleblower who made an allegation that the CIA attempted to prevent Justice Department officials from interviewing attorney Kevin Morris.
James Catella, head of the CIA’s legislative affairs, has stated in a letter that the CIA did not impede the IRS or DOJ from conducting any interviews or investigations, although he did not confirm or deny the existence of any associations or communications. Catella’s response came after allegations were made claiming that the CIA had prevented such actions.
The CIA actively collaborates with its law enforcement partners and does not impede any investigations or prosecutions carried out by U.S. law enforcement agencies.
The House Judiciary Committee spokesperson, Russell Dye, expressed their support for the whistleblowers’ allegation.
He affirmed that the allegation is not false.
The investigation into Hunter Biden, President Biden’s son, has faced yet another setback with the receipt of this letter. It further highlights the allegations of law enforcement negligence in pursuing criminal charges against him. Hunter Biden is currently facing charges in two states, involving tax and gun offenses.
In February, the Justice Department indicted an FBI informant on charges of fabricating the claim that President Biden was involved in bribery allegations. Republicans had previously accused the FBI of failing to investigate these allegations.
The episode undermined a crucial avenue for the GOP’s investigation into the president, and in the weeks that followed, Republican colleagues have expressed more doubt about whether they have discovered any conduct that warrants impeachment. The lukewarm response has raised uncertainty about whether the issue will ever be brought to a vote on the House floor.
Comer and Jordan claimed in their March letter that the investigation was influenced by the CIA.
In August 2021, when IRS investigators were getting ready to interview Patrick Kevin Morris, an associate of Hunter Biden, the CIA stepped in to halt the interview, as per the whistleblower’s account. According to Jordan and Comer, two DOJ officials were reportedly called to CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia for a briefing on Mr. Morris. During the meeting, it was communicated that Mr. Morris could not serve as a witness in the investigation. The lawmakers addressed these concerns in a letter to CIA Director Bill Burns.
The whistleblower who initially raised concerns about the Hunter Biden investigation expressed disappointment in the briefness of their interview with Morris, as testified.
Gary Shapley, an IRS investigator who worked on the Hunter Biden case, informed the committee that during his interaction with Morris, Hunter Biden’s residence, Morris initially agreed to an interview but later expressed his desire to involve his lawyer in the discussion.
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), who serves as the leading Democrat on the Oversight panel, made a request to Republicans earlier on Friday. He asked them to provide their materials in order to substantiate their claim. This request is just one of many made by Democrats, urging the GOP to present evidence to support their assertions.
In response to the serious charge, my staff has repeatedly requested access to the information that supposedly prompted your letter and serves as its sole basis. However, you have consistently refused to share this Committee material with the Minority. This refusal implies that the information, much like previous tips that have proven baseless in our ongoing search for a scandal, would not withstand even a basic review by the Committee’s Democratic Members, as expressed by Raskin.
He also highlighted the link between the previous allegations of bribery and Russian intelligence.
Raskin emphasized the need for sharing all the information with the full Committee. He expressed the importance of reviewing and understanding whether any steps were taken to vet the information. Furthermore, Raskin highlighted the significance of assessing whether unintentionally or knowingly, the Committee is being involved in the efforts of foreign interests to influence American elections.
Dye expressed concern that disclosing the information to Democrats could potentially jeopardize the whistleblower’s safety and career.
