WASHINGTON — Hours after court filings revealed Hunter Biden, the president’s son, agreed to plead guilty to tax evasion charges, the House Ways and Means Committee announced it would meet to discuss confidential tax information related to a “high-profile individual.”
Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., scheduled a meeting at 8 a.m. on Thursday to consider “documents protected under Internal Revenue Code section 6103,” which includes personal tax returns and related information. It’s the same statute that the Ways and Means panel under Democratic control last year invoked to review, and ultimately release to the public, former President Donald Trump’s tax returns.
“Ways and Means Committee members have received multiple whistleblower reports of misconduct at the IRS and other agencies regarding interference and government abuse in the handling of a matter involving a high-profile individual,” Smith said in a statement. “If the federal government is not treating all taxpayers equally, Congress has a duty to hold agencies accountable by providing transparency and bringing new facts to light.”
