Comer, Greene Press DOJ on Mishandling of Hunter Biden Victims’ Rights
“DOJ opted to leave victims out of the conversation”
WASHINGTON—House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) are today pressing for information from the Department of Justice (DOJ) related to DOJ’s potential failure to uphold the rights of victims who were sexually exploited by Hunter Biden. The Crime Victims’ Rights Act (CRVA) and Mandatory Victim Restitution Act (MRVA) protect victims, such as the women Hunter Biden allegedly sexually exploited based on testimony from two IRS whistleblowers, throughout the criminal process with statutory rights. In a letter to top officials at DOJ, the lawmakers seek information related to DOJ’s conduct involving the victims, including why it chose to forgo particular charges and pursue crimes that could preclude victims from receiving relief under the law.
“DOJ appears to have ignored its own policies by only charging Hunter Biden with two misdemeanor tax charges. But more disturbing, the Committee is concerned DOJ disregarded the victims who were sexually exploited by Hunter Biden. Specifically, Congressional testimony indicates that Hunter Biden paid prostitutes—victims—and used such payments as tax expenses for one of his companies. These testimonies also indicated DOJ was investigating Hunter Biden for Mann Act violations,” the lawmakers wrote.
Following transcribed interviews made public by the House Ways and Means Committee, two IRS whistleblowers who investigated Hunter Biden’s evasion of taxes on his $8.3 million in income exposed the Department of Justice’s politicization and misconduct during the investigation before the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability in a hearing last week. During the hearing, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene examined how Hunter Biden violated the Mann Act by deducting payments to prostitutes as tax expenses in 2018.
“Based on this testimony, it appears Hunter Biden concealed illegal payments to
prostitutes—victims—by claiming business expenses through one of his companies. Put simply, Hunter Biden’s criminal conduct harmed these women, and such harm appears to involve the 2018 tax charge for which he is now pleading guilty,” the lawmakers continued.
“Additionally, the Committee is concerned about the narrow scope of the charges that the DOJ chose to bring despite available evidence to other, more serious crimes. The limited charging decisions may directly affect the victims’ ability to obtain relief. In choosing to ignore more severe criminal charges or omit relevant offense conduct, the DOJ opted to leave victims out of the conversation—a statutory right under the CVRA.”
Read the letter to Ms. Hilary Axam, National Human Trafficking Coordinator, and Ms. Kristina Rose, Director, Office for Victims of Crime, here.