Calls on Department of Justice Inspector General to investigate FBI immediately
OSHKOSH – On Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), ranking member of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, sent a letter to Department of Justice Inspector General (DOJ IG) Michael Horowitz revealing new whistleblower allegations relating to the FBI’s handling of Hunter Biden’s laptop.
The senator wrote, “Recently, my office heard from individuals with knowledge of the FBI’s apparent corruption. After the FBI obtained the Hunter Biden laptop from the Wilmington, DE computer shop, these whistleblowers stated that local FBI leadership told employees, ‘you will not look at that Hunter Biden laptop’ and that the FBI is ‘not going to change the outcome of the election again.’”
The senator called on the DOJ IG to “take immediate steps to investigate the FBI’s actions regarding the laptop.” Sen. Johnson wrote, “I hope you understand that the longer your office stands on the sidelines and delays investigating the FBI’s actions, the harder it will be for you to uncover the truth and hold individuals accountable for wrongdoing.”
In October 2020, the senator led the call for the DOJ IG to investigate the FBI’s handling of Hunter Biden’s laptop, but Inspector General Horowitz declined, citing an ongoing U.S. Attorney’s Office investigation.
Read more about the letter in the Washington Examiner.
The full text of the letter can be found here and below.
August 23, 2022
The Honorable Michael E. Horowitz
Inspector General
Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20530
Dear Inspector General Horowitz:
Whistleblowers have recently contacted my office to share serious concerns about the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) handling of Hunter Biden’s laptop. These new allegations provide even more evidence of FBI corruption and renew calls for you to take immediate steps to investigate the FBI’s actions regarding the laptop.
In October 2020, I called on the FBI to explain what actions it took after receiving the laptop.[1] The FBI failed to respond to my questions and I led the call for you to examine whether the FBI took appropriate and necessary investigative steps after receiving Hunter Biden’s laptop.[2] Four months later, in February 2021, you informed me that your office would not take any actions that could interfere with an ongoing investigation. You wrote:
[I]n December 2020, Hunter Biden publicly stated that the United States Attorney’s Office (USAO) in Delaware advised his legal counsel that the USAO was investigating his tax affairs. Earlier this month, the Department announced that the U.S. Attorney in Delaware was one of two U.S. Attorneys asked to remain in his role in the new administration. In light of these circumstances, and consistent with the OIG’s practice, we will not take actions that could interfere with an ongoing investigation.[3]
Since then, whistleblowers have come forward to Congress alleging that FBI officials intentionally undermined efforts to investigate Hunter Biden.[4] Recently, my office heard from individuals with knowledge of the FBI’s apparent corruption. After the FBI obtained the Hunter Biden laptop from the Wilmington, DE computer shop, these whistleblowers stated that local FBI leadership told employees, “you will not look at that Hunter Biden laptop” and that the FBI is “not going to change the outcome of the election again.” Further, these whistleblowers allege that the FBI did not begin to examine the contents of Hunter Biden’s laptop until after the 2020 presidential election—potentially a year after the FBI obtained the laptop in December 2019.[5]
While I understand your hesitation to investigate a matter that may be related to an ongoing investigation, it is clear to me based on numerous credible whistleblower disclosures that the FBI cannot be trusted with the handling of Hunter Biden’s laptop. I hope you understand that the longer your office stands on the sidelines and delays investigating the FBI’s actions, the harder it will be for you to uncover the truth and hold individuals accountable for wrongdoing. I call on you to immediately investigate the FBI’s handling of Hunter Biden’s laptop and begin by obtaining the history of the investigative actions taken by the FBI on Hunter Biden’s laptop which should be available on the FBI’s case management system, Sentinel. This case file should provide valuable information about the steps the FBI took to examine the laptop.
The American people deserve transparency and expect allegations of government corruption to be fully and immediately investigated. Thank you for your attention to this important request.
Sincerely,
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[1] Letter from Ron Johnson, Chairman, Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, to Christopher A. Wray, Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Dep’t of Justice, Oct. 17, 2020, https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2020-10-17%20RHJ%20to%20FBI%20re%20Delaware1.pdf.
[2] Letter from Ron Johnson, Chairman, Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, to Michael E. Horowitz, Inspector General, U.S. Dep’t of Justice, Oct. 21, 2020, https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2020-10-21%20letter%20from%20RHJ%20to%20DOJ%20OIG%20re%20FBI%20(laptop).pdf.
[3] Letter from Michael E. Horowitz, Inspector General, U.S. Dep’t of Justice, to Sen. Ron Johnson, Feb. 17, 2021.
[4] Letter from Sen. Charles E. Grassley, Ranking Member, Committee on the Judiciary, to Merrick Garland, Attorney General, Dep’t of Justice, and Christopher Wray, Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation, July 25, 2022, https://www.grassley.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/grassley_to_justice_deptfbipoliticalbiasfollowup.pdf.
[5] Letter from Ron Johnson, Chairman, Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, to Michael E. Horowitz, Inspector General, U.S. Dep’t of Justice. Oct. 21, 2020, https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2020-10-21%20letter%20from%20RHJ%20to%20DOJ%20OIG%20re%20FBI%20(laptop).pdf.
