Hunter Biden prosecutor was about to close investigation before whistleblowers emerged.

The Hunter Biden Investigation Takes a Surprising Turn

David Weiss, the prosecutor overseeing the investigation into Hunter Biden, appeared⁤ set earlier this‌ year to end the ​probe⁢ without bringing charges before whistleblowers from the IRS came ‍forward, the New York Times reported.

After years of probing Biden ‍over ‌alleged tax and⁢ gun crimes, Weiss “appeared willing to forgo‍ any prosecution of Mr. Biden at⁢ all, and his office came close⁢ to agreeing to end the investigation without⁢ requiring‍ a guilty plea on any charges,” according to the Times.

That changed, the ⁣ Times ⁣reported, around the time IRS whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joseph‌ Ziegler came forward, alleging the ​investigation into Biden was sabotaged by‍ the ‍Justice Department.

The whistleblowers alleged that the DOJ shielded Biden⁤ and his ⁤father from scrutiny, preventing prosecutors from filing felony charges and undermining the tax investigation.

After the whistleblowers testified before Congress, Weiss and his deputy Lesley Wolf changed their tune, deciding the first son should plead‍ guilty to tax charges, the Times reported:

As the testimony from the I.R.S. agents⁢ took hold, Mr. Biden’s legal team felt the ground shift beneath them. The U.S. attorney’s⁣ office suddenly went quiet.

On Tuesday, May‌ 23, after four days of silence, Ms. Wolf delivered unwelcome⁣ news. Mr. Weiss had revised what he wanted in the deal, now demanding that Mr. Biden plead guilty⁤ to two ⁣misdemeanor counts of ‌failing ​to pay his⁤ taxes. It⁤ crossed ‍a red ⁣line for Mr. Clark.

Erupting in anger, Mr. Clark⁣ accused Ms. Wolf of misleading him. He ⁣renounced the possibility of any deal, but after⁣ consulting with Mr. Biden, reversed course and told Ms. ‌Wolf that Mr. Biden was willing to go along.

Biden and Weiss then negotiated a now-infamous plea deal that​ would have seen the first son⁤ avoid prison time and win broad immunity from further prosecution in exchange for pleading guilty to misdemeanor tax crimes.

Federal judge Maryellen Noreika last month rejected that plea deal, taking issue with the broad immunity the ‌first son would have won. She told prosecutors and Biden’s legal team to craft a new one. ‌She said the original deal was “not‍ standard” and “different from ⁤what I normally see.”

Politico ‍reported this weekend that lawyers for Hunter Biden threatened to put President Joe Biden on the stand if their client was charged.⁤ “President Biden now unquestionably⁤ would be a fact witness for the defense in any criminal trial,” Hunter Biden lawyer Chris Clark ⁤said ⁢in an ⁤October 2022 letter to Weiss.