Grassley, Johnson raise concerns on Hunter Biden probe centered in Delaware, conflicts of interest

GOP Sens. Chuck Grassley and Ron Johnson are asking the Justice Department to make known what steps the agency has taken to prevent interference into the investigations of the Hunter Biden's taxes and overseas business dealings.

Grassley, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Johnson, the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations' top Republican, made the request Tuesday in a letter to Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss, who will decide whether there is sufficient evidence to seek a federal grand jury against Hunter Biden, the son of President Biden.

Hunter Biden acknowledged on Dec. 9, 2020, that the Justice Department was investigating his tax affairs. However, the matter has reportedly developed into a grand jury gathering evidence in a wider-ranging examination of his international business dealings.

The Grassley-Johnson letter more specifically raises concerns about the Hunter Biden probe being in the home state of him and his father, considering the connection to Nicholas McQuaid, the principal deputy assistant attorney general for the criminal division.

Prior to being named as the acting head of the Justice Department’s criminal division on the day President Biden was inaugurated, McQuaid worked with Hunter Biden’s criminal attorney, which raises questions about whether he should be recused because of a potential conflict of interest, according to the letter.

"To be clear, we are unaware of any information that would call into question your ability to lead this investigation," the senators write. "Yet, Delaware is the Bidens' home state and Hunter Biden has acknowledged his connections with state officials in the past."

Hunter Biden’s overseas business deals, in part when his father was vice president, came under intense scrutiny during the 2020 presidential election, which his father won.

Such questions only intensified in the late stage of the race with the discovery of a Hunter Biden’s laptop and its hard drive at a Delaware repair. 

Grassley and Johnson say they have already addressed the McQuaid issue with Attorney General Merrick Garland but that they have yet to receive a clear answer.