Joseph Ziegler's Hunter Biden op-ed

Joseph Ziegler, the IRS Special Agent who testified before the House Oversight Committee last week, has written a WSJ op-ed about the collapse of Hunter Biden's sweetheart plea deal. In his op-ed, Ziegler said that we need a special counsel to properly investigate Hunter Biden. I disagree with that. For now.

There are 2 situations that I'd agree with a special counsel investigation. The first situation would be after the House Oversight Committee finished their investigation. Once they've wrapped up their investigation and they've made a criminal referral to the DOJ, then I'd want a special counsel. I don't want a special counsel investigation getting in the way of the Oversight Committee's investigation. Comer's Committee has uncovered more in 8 months than David Weiss's 'investigation' uncovered in 5 years.

The other situation where I'd enthusiastically agree to a special counsel investigation is if a) former U.S. Attorney John Ratcliffe is the special counsel, b) Andy McCarthy and Brett Tollman were his assistants and c) Joseph Ziegler and Gary Shapley were the lead investigators. These men have tons of integrity and they're tops in their fields.

Part of Ziegler's op-ed tells us who he is and what motivates him:

I’ve worked at the Internal Revenue Service as a special agent for more than a decade. I am also a Democrat. Last week I put my career on the line to testify about the Hunter Biden investigation before the House Oversight Committee. I was raised a Christian. My parents consistently pressed me to do what was right, a mantra I carry with me to this day. Experience has taught me that doing what is right sometimes makes you unpopular. My decision to come forward was solely based on the hope that my testimony would serve as a call for accountability and reform.

Throughout my career, I have worked with some of the best prosecutors in the country. I have been the lead IRS case agent on many complex financial-crime cases leading to convictions, some carrying prison sentences of more than 15 years. I have also been the affiant (author) of numerous search and seizure warrants that have helped recoup millions of dollars for American taxpayers. I swore to the truth and accuracy of the statements in those affidavits.

This isn't the story of someone who's average. This man, if he played sports, would be an All-Star or an All-Pro. This was the tipping point:

I came forward because in my opinion, Hunter Biden received preferential treatment. Although some in Congress tried to explain away my concerns, what I saw during the investigation was entirely outside the norm. I have disagreed with prosecutors in the past. In some cases I didn’t get my way. But those disagreements always followed the normal investigative process. I was always allowed to follow concrete evidence and investigate a case without being handcuffed or slow walked by the Justice Department.

Looking back on my five-year tax investigation of Hunter Biden, I recall many disagreements between prosecutors and investigators. These involved the search warrants of Hunter Biden’s residence and storage unit, the verification of WhatsApp messages that seemingly detailed Joe Biden’s presence during business discussions, and delayed or blocked interviews with members of the Biden family. I would characterize the Justice Department’s behavior as obstruction.

Things reached a breaking point when Gary Shapley and I were sidelined after a disagreement with U.S. Attorney David Weiss. Four assigned prosecutors and Mr. Weiss had agreed to recommend the approval of misdemeanor and felony charges for 2017-19 before Mr. Weiss ultimately claimed he wasn’t the deciding person on whether to file charges. When Biden-appointed U.S. attorneys in the District of Columbia and the Central District of California declined the case after only a brief review, and refused to allow Mr. Shapley or me to brief them on our findings, I knew I had to blow the whistle.

This is worthwhile watching:

Jason Smith, the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, was fired up about the House Oversight Committee hearing: