Poppy Harlow Grills IRS Whistleblower: Why Did Bill Barr See No Reason for Special Counsel in Hunter Biden Investigation?

CNN’s Poppy Harlow challenged IRS Whistleblower Joseph Ziegler’s call for a Special Counsel to examine the Hunter Biden investigation.

Biden’s plea deal collapsed — at least temporarily — on Wednesday after the judge presiding over the case effectively refused to rubber stamp the agreement between DOJ prosecutors and Biden’s defense lawyers.

A plea deal could still emerge, but Ziegler — who works as an IRS investigator and testified before Congress last week calling out what he saw as favorable treatment provided to the son of President Joe Biden — has called for a Special Counsel to investigate the entire deal.

Harlow noted that the investigation has been ongoing for five years before citing Trump administration AG Bill Barr saying in December 2020 that “I think to the extent there’s an investigation, I think it’s being handled responsibly and professionally,” and added that Barr saw “no reason” to appoint a special counsel.

“Why was this not charged in those two years?” Harlow asked, adding, “And do you disagree with what Bill Barr asserted there?”

Ziegler did not know the basis for Barr’s statement and would not speculate as to why he said that. He did note that as an IRS agent, he and his teammates had been trying to figure out how to bring on a special counsel to look into the matter to ensure impartiality in the investigation.

Full transcript of the segment:

Harlow: You have questioned whether David Weiss had full authority. And in that part of the letter I read to you, he she believes and he said to Congress in this letter that that he does. Do you believe that someone stopped David Weiss?

Ziegler: So all I can go back to is what we stated in our testimony. We know that the Department of Justice went to the DC US Attorney’s Office to bring the 2014 and 2015 felony and misdemeanor tax charges there. They said no. We also know that he went to the District of California, a President Biden appointed US attorney two to charge that case, the felony and misdemeanor charges there. He was told no. So all along, we’re we’re trying to defend these charges in the different venues.

Harlow: That is just the response to that has been that has been contested, that assertion that he went elsewhere and was prevented by by the attorney general. You know, this case, as you well know, because you were lead on it for two years, this this investigation went on under the Trump administration. And Bill Barr in December of 2020 said this about it, he said, I think to the extent there’s an investigation, I think it’s being handled responsibly and professionally. He went on to say that he sees no reason to appoint a special counsel. Why was this not charged in those two years? And do you disagree with what Bill Barr asserted there?

Ziegler: Yes. I don’t know what basis for that statement, and I’m not going to speculate as to why. What I can tell you is that after D.C. said no IRS agents on the team, including the FBI, we were trying to figure out internally how to bring on a special counsel. We already saw that there was improper things being done. And as law enforcement officers, we make an oath to the office to do the right thing. I think that’s so important, regardless of your political affiliation, regardless of what your political beliefs are. We have to be impartial and we have to be fair to taxpayers, people that are paying their fair share of taxes. And in this case, we wanted we thought all along that that David Weiss was going to do the right thing for the right reasons. I can recall saying that so many times. But when he only charged two misdemeanor counts and did not charge the felony when the felony charges were recommended for approval, that I’m sorry, we’re not treating taxpayers the same.

Harlow: Two more quick questions for you. And look, it takes a lot of guts. I just want to note this for our audience. It takes a lot of guts. I know you’ve said you’re worried that your job was on the line when you came out here publicly to testify to final questions for you. One is, how do you know David Weiss and his team aren’t doing that now? Clearly, the investigation is still ongoing.

Ziegler: So you are correct. I was removed from the team May 15th. I wasn’t provided with a reason why. I don’t know. Yeah, I do not know that answer. But what I what I’m asking for is we need to have someone with independent authority, with full authority, that special counsel authority that can charge that in venues outside of the District of Delaware.

Harlow: The one thing I would just say about special counsel so people understand the difference here is David Weiss is a Trump appointed U.S. attorney, has the authority to follow leads where they will take him and his team, a special counsel, the way the way that that operates. They have to operate within sort of the four corners of what an attorney general sets for them. And if they want to expand the investigation, they have to go back to the A.G., get permission to do that and keep going. So there is the argument to be made that actually David Weiss has more independence here.

Ziegler: So the fact that he that is being stated that he has more independence, I would go to to President Biden, U.S. attorneys both saying no to bringing charges in their districts and the charges not being brought. Like like we said, it’s in Department of Justice tax manual. It’s in their tax manual that you have to charge the felony with the misdemeanor. You have taxpayers who are right now in New England that were charged. These are fishermen. It’s a fishermen case. They were charged with misdemeanor and felony tax charges for failing to file tax returns. I’m sure that those people would like the same agreement that that that Hunter got in this situation. And that’s my argument, is we have to treat people the same in our investigations and how we move forward those investigations.

Harlow: And to the point that you’re making, the allegation that they were blocked by other U.S. attorneys. That has been contested by their office. Joseph, thank you for your time this morning.

Ziegler: Thank you so much for having me, Poppy.

Watch above via CNN.