Only days after the attorney for an Internal Revenue Service whistleblower who has claimed the federal investigation into Hunter Bidenâs has been hamstrung by political interference met with leading members of Congress, the IRS struck in what the attorney said was a âclearly retaliatoryâ action.
On Friday, attorney Mark Lytle, who represents the whistleblower, met members of the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance committees to discuss what the whistleblower could and could not say in keeping with privacy laws governing tax returns, according to CBS.
On Monday, the IRS took all of its current staff investigating Hunter Bidenâs taxes off the investigation, according to the New York Post.
The Post said it obtained a letter from the whistleblowerâs attorneys to congressional leaders.
âToday the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Supervisory Special Agent we represent was informed that he and his entire investigative team are being removed from the ongoing and sensitive investigation of the high-profile, controversial subject about which our client sought to make whistleblower disclosures to Congress,â Lytle and attorney Tristan Leavitt wrote.
The whistleblower âwas informed the change was at the request of the Department of Justice,â the letter said.
âOn April 27, 2023, IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel appeared before the House Committee on Ways and Means. He testified: âI can say without any hesitation there will be no retaliation for anyone making an allegation or a call to a whistleblower hotline,'â the lawyers wrote.
âHowever, this move is clearly retaliatory and may also constitute obstruction of a congressional inquiry,â the letter stated.
The letter said reassigning the team violates the letter and spirit of whistleblower rules and federal law.
âOur client has a right to make disclosures to Congress ⌠He is protected by 5 U.S.C. § 2302 from retaliatory personnel actions â including receiving a âsignificant change in duties, responsibilities, or working conditionsâ (which this clearly is) because of his disclosures to Congress,â the letter stated.
âAny attempt by any government official to prevent a federal employee from furnishing information to Congress is also a direct violation of longstanding appropriations restriction. Furthermore, 18 U.S.C. § 1505 makes it a crime to obstruct an investigation of Congress.â
The letter argued that the removal indicates the type of conduct the whistleblower seeks to expose.
âRemoving the experienced investigators who have worked this case for years and are now the subject-matter experts is exactly the sort of issue our client intended to blow the whistle on to begin with,â the letter said.
The Post said that neither the IRS nor the Department of Justice would comment on the letter.
Last month, Lytle released a letter from the whistleblower saying he wanted to discuss âpreferential treatmentâ in Hunter Bidenâs investigation and political interference from a top political appointee.
On Friday, CNN reported that an aide to a Republican member of the House Ways and Means Committee said the panel would meet soon with the whistleblower.
While the Republican House majority controls the Ways and Means Committee, Democrats control the Senate and the Senate Finance Committee.
But a spokesman for Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden, chairman of the Finance Committee, said the panelâs leading Republican is, Idaho Republican Mike Crapo, is involved.
âThe process is proceeding on a bipartisan basis with ranking member Crapoâs staff,â Wyden spokesman Ryan Carey said, according to CNN.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.