IRS whistleblower's attorney raises new questions about Justice Dept's claims of independence in Hunter Biden investigation, which Justice Dept disputes
CBSN
The lawyer for an IRS whistleblower is raising questions about the Justice Department's claims that its investigation of Hunter Biden has been independent of political interference, pointing to a series of events in April that he says cast doubt on the department's assertion.
The events transpired just after Mark Lytle's client came forward to Congress with allegations of preferential treatment in the Hunter Biden probe. A Justice Department spokesperson described the communications and meetings as "routine."
On April 19, Lytle, who represents IRS whistleblower Gary Shapley, wrote to the Senate Finance and House Ways and Means Committees to say that his client wished to come forward.
President Joe Biden said France was America's "first friend" at its founding and is one of its closest allies more than two centuries later as he was honored with a state visit Saturday by French President Emmanuel Macron aimed at showing off their partnership on global security issues and easing past trade tensions.
The Consumer Federal Protection Bureau last week launched an inquiry into what the agency is calling "junk fees in mortgage closing costs." These additional fees, involving home appraisal, title insurance and other services, have spiked in recent years and can add thousands of dollars to the final cost of buying a home.
Retired Maj. Gen. William Anders, the former Apollo 8 astronaut who took the iconic "Earthrise" photo showing the planet as a shadowed blue marble from space in 1968, was killed Friday when the plane he was piloting alone plummeted into the waters off the San Juan Islands in Washington state. He was 90.