# IRS agent alleges Hunter Biden probe is being mishandled **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [April 20, 2023, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irs-agent-alleges-hunter-biden-probe-is-being-mishandled/982980 "2023-04-20T17:15:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irs-agent-alleges-hunter-biden-probe-is-being-mishandled/982980/21 "2023-04-20T18:26:12Z")
Especially since the whole thing is obviously retaliation for holding Trump and co accountable for their crimes. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irs-agent-alleges-hunter-biden-probe-is-being-mishandled/982980/22 "2023-04-20T18:27:58Z")
I don’t have a big problem with Republicans going after the Biden family – that’s normal politics, IMO, in the sense that the typical political people will make up shit and rant on right-wing infotainment, all the while digging for any real evidence that usually will remain elusive. But by all means, Republicans, keep looking. Digging for wrongdoing by prominent people is, in general, fine with me. I’ll still be skeptical until they actually produce something. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irs-agent-alleges-hunter-biden-probe-is-being-mishandled/982980/23 "2023-04-20T18:30:31Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Frankly, I would like to know what he _actually_ said. Here are some quotes: [https://www.cnn.com/2015/05/31/politics/joe-biden-beau-quotes/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2015/05/31/politics/joe-biden-beau-quotes/index.html) I could see a couple of those quotes twisted around to sound like that, maybe. Like: > “You know, folks, my dad used to have an expression. He’d say, ’A father knows he’s a success when he turns and looks at his son or daughter and know that they turned out better than he did.’ I’m a success; I’m a hell of a success. Beau, I love you. I’m so proud of you. I’m so proud of the son you’ve become; I’m so proud of the father you are.” I could see someone extrapolating that if Joe Biden believes his children need to turn out better, that he’d do anything for them. It’s one heck of a twist, but it’s plausible. There’s also this: > **[LISTEN: The moment Hunter Biden says his father will do anything he tells him to](https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/white-house/hunter-biden-laptop-presidennt-joe-tapes)** > > Hunter Biden recorded himself boasting that his father will adopt political positions at his command, footage obtained from a copy of his abandoned laptop shows. > During the discussion, Horan asked Hunter Biden if his father would talk about drug reform if he becomes president. > > “He’s going to talk about drug reform and any other things that I want him to,” Hunter Biden responded. Now, this is from the Washington Examiner, a conservative newspaper, which claims to have gotten this from Hunter’s laptop. So take this with a grain of salt. I am extremely skeptical that any of this is real. But, again, someone could read/hear this, believe it, and extrapolate. I don’t think that Biden actually said anything like what @Sage_Rat is claiming, at least from what I can find. > [@Czarcasm](#): > > What a joke, considering all that Trump has gotten away with through the years. When Biden’s son tries to overthrow the government, get back to me. So you disagree with me? When Trump and his cronies try to overthrow the government, they shouldn’t be prosecuted? If Hunter Biden breaks the law, he shouldn’t be prosecuted? You do realize that the penalties for different crimes are different, right? Show me where I said that anyone in the Biden family should be investigated for seditious conspiracy. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irs-agent-alleges-hunter-biden-probe-is-being-mishandled/982980/24 "2023-04-20T18:37:25Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > It’s one heck of a twist, but it’s plausible. Sure, it’s more than plausible that someone would twist his words like that, because people twist words into things they don’t mean. > [@Atamasama](#): > > Now, this is from the Washington Examiner, a conservative newspaper, which claims to have gotten this from Hunter’s laptop. So take this with a grain of salt. I am extremely skeptical that any of this is real. At best, this is a _claim_ made by Hunter. It is not Joe Biden saying it. And in reality, in context, it doesn’t even make the claim that you are expected to assume. > [@Atamasama](#): > > I don’t think that Biden actually said anything like what @Sage_Rat is claiming, at least from what I can find. I’m absolutely positive that he didn’t. > [@Atamasama](#): > > You do realize that the penalties for different crimes are different, right? Show me where I said that anyone in the Biden family should be investigated for seditious conspiracy. The point is that the Trump family is being investigated _because_ of crimes they committed. Hunter is being investigated as an attempt to harm Joe. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irs-agent-alleges-hunter-biden-probe-is-being-mishandled/982980/25 "2023-04-20T18:38:41Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > When Trump and his cronies try to overthrow the government, they shouldn’t be prosecuted? If Hunter Biden breaks the law, he shouldn’t be prosecuted? Which event should we concentrate on more? Better yet, which event should _Congress_ be focusing on more? It is bad when a rogue elephant rampages through a grocery store, and it is bad when a mouse nibbles on the produce. Congress is focusing on the mouse when it should be concentrating on stopping the elephant…but instead they are gleefully taking elephant rides. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irs-agent-alleges-hunter-biden-probe-is-being-mishandled/982980/26 "2023-04-20T18:41:21Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > The point is that the Trump family is being investigated _because_ of crimes they committed. Hunter is being investigated as an attempt to harm Joe. I find that very plausible. So we’ll see what/if anything comes from that. > [@Czarcasm](#): > > Which event should we concentrate on more? Better yet, which event should _Congress_ be focusing on more? Oh no, I agree with you completely. Of course, I expect that they are taking this specifically to GOP lawmakers to use as political fodder, which I previously said I object to. I think that’s harmful. But I also think nothing will come of it. The problem is that the “Hunter Biden is bad and therefore Joe Biden is bad” thing has been shouted long enough for so long that people are bored. Unless there is something of substance to it, where they’ll actually charge Hunter, it’s a non-story. It’s useless to the GOP too, even though they’ll probably try to use it anyway. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irs-agent-alleges-hunter-biden-probe-is-being-mishandled/982980/27 "2023-04-20T18:42:56Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > The problem is that the “Hunter Biden is bad and therefore Joe Biden is bad” thing has been shouted long enough for so long that people are bored. I don’t know about that, it’s an oldie but a goodie. I’ll be seeing my mother tonight, and I’m sure I’ll hear all about it. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irs-agent-alleges-hunter-biden-probe-is-being-mishandled/982980/28 "2023-04-20T18:44:19Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > It’s useless to the GOP too, even though they’ll probably try to use it anyway. The hell it is useless. It is diversionary fodder that works rather well with their target audience. ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irs-agent-alleges-hunter-biden-probe-is-being-mishandled/982980/29 "2023-04-20T18:57:43Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > What a joke, considering all that Trump has gotten away with through the years. When Biden’s son tries to overthrow the government, get back to me. You’ve metioned this several times on these boards. What happened on Jan 6th was as much an attempt to overthrow the government as a Walmart riot is an attempt at a corporate take-over of Walmart. I don’t know exactly what to call what happened that day, other than a bunch of idiots listening to a moron. An attempt to overthrow the US governent, it was not. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irs-agent-alleges-hunter-biden-probe-is-being-mishandled/982980/30 "2023-04-20T19:06:20Z")
> [@Uncommon\_Sense](#): > > What happened on Jan 6th was as much an attempt to overthrow the government as a Walmart riot is an attempt at a corporate take-over of Walmart. No, the closer analogy to a random Wal-Mart store would be storming a post office in the middle of East Podunk, WY expecting to overthrow the government. Storming Congress would be like rolling up to Fayetteville to Corporate headquarters itself. > [@Uncommon\_Sense](#): > > I don’t know exactly what to call what happened that day, other than a bunch of idiots listening to a moron. An attempt to overthrow the US governent, it was not. It may have been an inept attempt, but it was absolutely an attempt to overthrow the legitimate government of the US. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irs-agent-alleges-hunter-biden-probe-is-being-mishandled/982980/31 "2023-04-20T19:06:52Z")
That toothpaste isn’t going back into that tube no matter how hard you push. Nice try. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irs-agent-alleges-hunter-biden-probe-is-being-mishandled/982980/32 "2023-04-20T19:06:54Z")
> [@Lance\_Turbo](#): > > The letter from the whistleblower’s lawyer. For reference (only version I could find - not endorsing Fox): > **[WhistleblowerLetterIRSHunterBiden.pdf](https://static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2023/04/WhistleblowerLetterIRSHunterBiden.pdf)** > > 76.80 KB I see the reference to the two Inspector Generals, Horowitz and Russell George. It’s not clear that the two of them declined to pursue an investigation into the matter at hand. We saw with Christopher Steele and various other Trump whistleblowers a certain amount of impatience with the process, and those people going to other sources and pushing the same information there, hoping to get traction. And that seems reasonable to me. But, likewise, we’ve seen cranks go and shop their crankery around for the same reason. I’m not seeing anything in the letter that is necessarily painting a different picture. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irs-agent-alleges-hunter-biden-probe-is-being-mishandled/982980/33 "2023-04-20T19:11:18Z")
> [@Uncommon\_Sense](#): > > You’ve metioned this several times on these boards. What happened on Jan 6th was as much an attempt to overthrow the government as a Walmart riot is an attempt at a corporate take-over of Walmart. They undeniably tried (and almost succeeded) in overturning the results of a free and fair election. If Pence had not been able to finish the vote tabulation (or decided not to due to threats) the election would have gone to the House and Trump would have won. ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irs-agent-alleges-hunter-biden-probe-is-being-mishandled/982980/34 "2023-04-20T19:13:45Z")
I think you give too little credit to the power of the US government and waaayyyyy too much credit to the “people” that gathered that fateful day. Plus, it was just a building, albeit the capitol. The government isn’t a “building”. Technically, they could still be occupying that building and the US government would still be ticking along just fine. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irs-agent-alleges-hunter-biden-probe-is-being-mishandled/982980/35 "2023-04-20T19:13:47Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Considering the past history of claims by anti-Biden “whistleblowers”, would you say that both possibilities are equal? No, the chance that it’s a loon is pretty reasonable. But, likewise, if the odds are 4 out of 5 that your average whistleblower is a crank, that still means that once you’re getting to the 4-5 whistleblowers reporting in, the gambler’s fallacy kicks in. Previous results don’t predict the future results. You have to examine each case individually, on the merits. There’s no quick-and-easy way to avoid that. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irs-agent-alleges-hunter-biden-probe-is-being-mishandled/982980/36 "2023-04-20T19:14:43Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > If Pence had not been able to finish the vote tabulation (or decided not to due to threats) the election would have gone to the House and Trump would have won. Or if the insurrectionists had succeeded in taking hostage and/or killing Democratic office holders, which was their plan. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irs-agent-alleges-hunter-biden-probe-is-being-mishandled/982980/37 "2023-04-20T19:15:07Z")
> [@Uncommon\_Sense](#): > > Technically, they could still be occupying that building and the US government would still be ticking along just fine. But Trump would be President, despite losing the election. ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irs-agent-alleges-hunter-biden-probe-is-being-mishandled/982980/38 "2023-04-20T19:17:31Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > > [@Uncommon\_Sense](#): > > > > You’ve metioned this several times on these boards. What happened on Jan 6th was as much an attempt to overthrow the government as a Walmart riot is an attempt at a corporate take-over of Walmart. > > They undeniably tried (and almost succeeded) in overturning the results of a free and fair election. If Pence had not been able to finish the vote tabulation (or decided not to due to threats) the election would have gone to the House and Trump would have won. Sure, maybe, but doubtful. But not the same as “taking over the government”. Not even sure what “taking over the government” means. I envision a whole new leadership structure with a new constitution, etc… ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irs-agent-alleges-hunter-biden-probe-is-being-mishandled/982980/39 "2023-04-20T19:18:31Z")
> [@Uncommon\_Sense](#): > > Plus, it was just a building, albeit the capitol. Full of Congresscritters they wanted to kill, in an effort to disrupt the confirmation of the President of the United States. _It was an attempt to overthrow our government, period_. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irs-agent-alleges-hunter-biden-probe-is-being-mishandled/982980/40 "2023-04-20T19:18:35Z")
> [@Uncommon\_Sense](#): > > But not the same as “taking over the government”. Not even sure what “taking over the government” means. I envision a whole new leadership structure with a new constitution, etc… Well, by that definition, perhaps. But I think “overthrow the government” is good shorthand for what Trump and his mob tried to do. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irs-agent-alleges-hunter-biden-probe-is-being-mishandled/982980.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irs-agent-alleges-hunter-biden-probe-is-being-mishandled/982980.md?page=3)