In a transcript of a closed door hearing first obtained by Fox News, a Department of Justice tax official told investigators that if the division decided to move forward with tax-related charges against Hunter Biden, then Charles Rettig, the Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, would have to give approval.
The official, Kenneth C. Corbin, who is the Chief Tax Counsel for the IRS’ Office of Chief Counsel, said that he was not aware of any investigation regarding Hunter Biden, but testified that this approval would have been necessary.
When asked by investigators if he knew why the division had not brought any charges against Hunter Biden, he said he did not know.
Corbin also told investigators that Richard Wess, a career Justice Department attorney, would have had to get authorization from the division before making any move to bring charges against Hunter Biden. Wess was the prosecutor on the case in late 2020 and attempted to open a tax-related investigation into the Hunter Biden matter, but was reportedly blocked by political leadership.
The transcripts shed more light on the inner workings of the Justice Department and the Division of Tax and Finance in particular, and confirm prior reports that Wess was unable to proceed without approval from the division. They also suggest that the approval may have been withheld at a higher level within the department.
