The White House dismissed the latest trove of documents released by the House Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday.
The House Ways and Means Committee released 700 pages of documents which further substantiated claims from IRS whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler that the DOJ slow-walked and obstructed the investigation into Hunter Biden’s alleged offenses. During a press conference announcing the release of evidence, an NBC reporter asked Republican Missouri Rep. Jason Smith about some of the documents and allegations that did not occur when President Biden was vice president.
White House spokesperson for oversight and investigations Ian Sams responded to the video of the reporter’s question, calling the release of documents a “staged stunt” by House Republicans in an effort to distract from a potential government shutdown Saturday. (RELATED: Here’s All The Evidence Connecting Joe Biden To Hunter Biden’s Foreign Business Dealings)
“When House Republicans staged this stunt to try to distract from them shutting down the government in 3 days, I don’t think this is what they had in mind…” Sams tweeted. “Another total bust. Zero evidence of wrongdoing by Joe Biden. And they can’t even answer basic questions without snapping.”
When House Republicans staged this stunt to try to distract from them shutting down the government in 3 days, I don’t think this is what they had in mind…
Another total bust. Zero evidence of wrongdoing by Joe Biden. And they can’t even answer basic questions without snapping. https://t.co/UtKDQVVMon
— Ian Sams (@IanSams46) September 27, 2023
The reporter asked Smith about the relevance of a WhatsApp message Hunter Biden allegedly sent in June 2017 describing the family “brand” as an asset to a business associate.
“You’re talking about a two-tiered system of justice,” the reporter said. “If I’m not mistaken, on August 7, 2020, Bill Barr was then-attorney general and Donald Trump was the president. So, explain to me where the two-tiered of justice comes into play. And then the WhatsApp message you have I believe is dated from June 6, 2017. Joe Biden is not vice president or even a candidate for president at that time. So where is the direct connection to some sort of criminal malfeasance within these two pieces of evidence?”
“Well, I think the facts speak for themselves. There’s over 700 pages of examples of where people should be very concerned … and [Assistant U.S. Attorney of Delaware] Lesley Wolf is a career employee,” Smith responded. “She was not a political appointee and she was the one obstructing the investigation. It doesn’t matter who’s in the White House. We need to make sure that the Department of Justice works for all people and doesn’t treat those who are politically connected or wealthy much differently, and unfortunately, we have several examples that came forward by the two IRS whistleblowers that proves that people are treated differently because they are politically connected.”
The latest released documents aim to support an impeachment inquiry into Biden, which House Republicans are leading. The inquiry is investigating Biden’s alleged involvement in a potential influence-peddling scheme connected to Hunter’s foreign business dealings.