SE Illinois News

Congressman Mike Bost (R-IL) is one of a growing chorus of critics alleging the Department of Justice’s announced plea deal with Hunter Biden is unacceptable. 

Biden reached a plea deal for two misdemeanors despite not having paid taxes on over $8 million in profits from foreign deals, sometimes with shady characters such as Chinese intelligence officials.

“Hunter Biden received a slap on the wrist despite growing evidence showing that he engaged in a scheme of corruption that could very well have put America’s security at risk," Bost said on Facebook. "The Republican-led House Oversight Committee will continue fighting to get to the bottom of this influence peddling operation.”

Congressman Darin LaHood (R-IL) was vociferous in his criticism of the DOJ. 

“This is an intentional effort by DOJ to protect Hunter Biden,” LaHood said on Fox News’ The Ingraham Angle. “And if people want evidence on that, they ought to read these transcripts. I would tell your viewers, go online tonight. They're online. These are top IRS investigators that have been on this case for five-plus years. They have been at every level told to stand down by the Department of Justice. And if you read there, the level of criminality that is alleged by these whistleblowers is mind-blowing. And by the way, these aren't Republicans saying this. These are whistleblowers at the highest level involved that did this. And let's remember what happened here. $8 million Hunter Biden got from Ukraine, China, and Romania didn't pay taxes on it. And then also there's this rush to do a plea agreement when we're going to have the transcripts revealed today.” 

LaHood said recent whistleblower testimony needs to be taken into account. 

“I think if you read what's alleged by these whistleblowers that I don't think was before the DOJ or (Delaware U.S. Attorney David) Weiss when he entered into this agreement,” LaHood said. “I think any judge that looks at that and then looks at the conduct that's in here, this is a slap on the wrist. I think about my constituents, Laura, if they didn't pay taxes on $8 million and was involved with Russia and Ukraine, and Romania, it wouldn't be a misdemeanor. So it's hard to believe that an expungeable gun charge and two misdemeanors is what Hunter Biden gets. It's an intentional production by the DOJ.”

The plea deal has only been announced and has not yet been verified and accepted by the judge in the case, U.S. District Court Judge Maryellen Noreika, who was appointed by former president Donald Trump in 2017, according to The Washington Times. The finalization of the plea deal for Hunter Biden is scheduled for July 26. It is expected that Hunter Biden will plead guilty to the tax charges and participate in a special pretrial program for the firearms charge. The terms of the plea deal indicate that the gun charge will be dismissed if Biden successfully completes two years of probation without drug use or arrests. The settlement has faced criticism from Congressional Republicans and former President Donald Trump, who view it as a favorable arrangement resulting in no jail time for Biden.

The New York Post, which was censored and removed from Twitter after releasing details and questioning Hunter Biden’s financial dealings, suggested the plea deal be frozen until the true story about how it came about is told. The Post notes there are serious questions surrounding the plea deal of Biden, and it is crucial to determine if Weiss or Attorney General Merrick Garland lied in the process. Weiss said he sought to indict Hunter for tax evasion in several districts but claimed he couldn't proceed due to the lack of cooperation from Joe Biden-appointed U.S. Attorney for DC Matthew Graves. However, Garland testified that Weiss didn't require any external approval to charge Hunter. Whistleblower Gary Shapley supports Weiss' claims. The Post suggests it is imperative for Congress to investigate and call the witnesses involved before finalizing the plea deal on July 26 to avoid a blatant miscarriage of justice.

Whistleblowers coming forward from both the IRS and FBI have claimed the Department of Justice purposefully scaled back the investigative effort into Biden’s influence operation. The Public reported the recent testimonies of FBI whistleblowers before Congress on the topic have led to retribution for those speaking out from the FBI and mainstream media who have portrayed them as far-right conspiracy theorists. The alleged persecution of the whistleblowers, who exposed abuses of power within the agency, has raised concerns about their treatment. Mainstream media outlets, including The New York Times and The Washington Post, have not interviewed the whistleblowers, fueling suspicions of a biased and unscrupulous defamation campaign.