According to a report from the House Republicans on the Judiciary Committee, the Department of Justice ordered investigators to “remove any reference” to former Vice President Joe Biden from a Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA) warrant related to the Ukraine investigation of his son, Hunter Biden.
The committee reported that the FARA warrant, which sought access to Hunter Biden’s entities’ financial records from 2019, was substantially changed after receiving input from the DOJ. The language of the warrant was said to have been edited “so that it no longer referenced Joe Biden,” but other details related to Hunter Biden remained in the application.
The committee also reported that the edits were made without the full knowledge or approval of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware, who is in charge of the investigation. The report concluded that the edits made to the FARA warrant were designed to “mitigate the public relations impact” of the investigation rather than for reasons related to its substance.
The edits have caused consternation among some lawmakers, who see the changes as an attempt by the DOJ to protect the Bidens from scrutiny and/or interfere in the criminal investigation.
