Dagen McDowell: A special counsel to investigate Biden could 'hugely backfire'
'Outnumbered' panelists discuss Senate Republicans' new demand for a special counsel to investigate President Biden's role in the family's foreign business dealings.
EXCLUSIVE: House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said he strongly opposes the appointment of a special counsel in the federal probe into Hunter Biden, saying Americans should not trust Attorney General Merrick Garland, while vowing his panel is fully equipped to get to the bottom of its investigation into the Biden family’s alleged business schemes.
The House Ways and Means Committee released testimony on Thursday from two IRS whistleblowers who said officials at the Justice Department, FBI and IRS interfered with the investigation into Hunter Biden, alleging decisions were "influenced by politics."
Those whistleblowers alleged DOJ prosecutors directed investigators to avoid asking witnesses questions about President Biden; chose not to collect search warrants related to the president’s son; and more.
House Oversight chair James Comer, R-Ky., right, is leading a probe into the business dealings of Hunter Biden, left, and other members of the Biden family. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post, Teresa Kroeger/Getty Images for World Food Program USA)
The revelations came just days after the Justice Department announced that Hunter Biden will plead guilty to two misdemeanor counts of willful failure to pay federal income tax as part of a deal that is expected to keep him out of prison. The president's son also agreed to enter into a pretrial diversion agreement with regard to a separate charge of possession of a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance.
However, Comer, R-Ky., is stressing the importance of keeping the investigation out of the hands of a Biden administration-appointed special counsel and in the hands of his committee.
"The House Oversight Committee has found and shared with the public in five months what the Justice Department and FBI have kept secret for five years, so I think we’re moving right along," Comer told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview.
"I strongly oppose the appointment of a special counsel," he said. "I think that’s the most ridiculous idea that any Republican could think right now because, if you support a special counsel, you support and trust Merrick Garland to have the sole authority to pick one person who can then take over the investigation and never have to be transparent with the media or Congress until the conclusion of the investigation, which might take years."
"I trust the House Oversight Committee to be the one and only entity leading this investigation," he continued. "And we’ve already proven we can find all of this stuff in five months that took the government five years to find."
Comer went on to describe the attorney general as "corrupt."
Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks during a meeting with U.S. Attorneys in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, June 14, 2023. (AP/Jose Luis Magana)
"Garland lies to the American people when he says he has not been involved in any of this," Comer said.
Comer was referring to Garland’s first comments following the release of the IRS whistleblower testimony, in which he denied any improper interference in the Hunter Biden investigation, saying U.S. Attorney David Weiss was "given complete authority to make all decisions on his own behalf."
One of the IRS whistleblowers testified that Weiss was "constantly hamstrung, limited, and marginalized by DOJ officials as well as other U.S. Attorneys." They testified that Weiss had requested to have special counsel authority, but was denied.
"As if the crimes the Bidens committed weren’t bad enough, what’s even worse is our federal government, led by Garland, is actively engaged in a cover-up," Comer said. "It is clear that one of the reasons the DOJ sat on this probe with Hunter for so long was to let the statute of limitations expire on some of his tax problems."
He added, "But we're on it."
House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer, R-Ky. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Comer told Fox News Digital that his committee has Hunter Biden's laptop hard drive and is using it as a tool to guide investigators through their probe.
One IRS whistleblower said that federal investigators knew in December 2019 that Hunter Biden’s laptop was "not manipulated in any way" and contained "reliable evidence," but said they were "obstructed" from seeing all available information. The whistleblower said that there is "no way of knowing" if evidence of "other criminal activity" existed concerning President Biden or Hunter Biden on the laptop, due to prosecutorial guidance to "limit" or block questioning related to the president.
President Biden has snapped at reporters who have asked him about alleged corruption involving him and his son, Hunter Biden. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
"We are using the contents of the hard drive, which the IRS was unable to do," Comer said. "We have the hard drive. We are using it. And the people the IRS wanted to interview, we have interviewed, or are going to interview those people."
Comer said the committee is expecting to hear testimony from Hunter Biden business associate Devon Archer later this month, and has plans to call additional witnesses.
Comer said the panel is also investigating whether Hunter Biden violated the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
Comer's investigation has revealed that the Biden family and its business associates created more than 20 companies and received more than $10 million from foreign nationals while Joe Biden served as vice president. Comer said that some of these payments could indicate attempts by the Biden family to "peddle influence," and said the family appeared to take steps to "conceal the source and total amount received from the foreign companies."
Meanwhile, the committee has also zeroed in on the FBI-generated FD-1023 form which contains allegations that President Biden was involved in a criminal bribery scheme with a foreign national that involved influence over U.S. policy decisions.
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Comer had subpoenaed the document, and demanded the FBI turn it over to Congress. The FBI did not comply, but did offer accommodations by bringing a redacted version of the document to Capitol Hill for lawmakers to review in a secure setting.
"The oversight committee will start bringing people in and getting more bank records that will show Joe Biden was a whole lot more involved in these shady family business schemes," Comer said.
The White House, though, continues to say Biden was never involved in his son's business dealings.
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