The FBI sent Hunter Biden’s tax and gun evidence to the US Attorney

The FBI gathered what agents believed to be sufficient evidence to indict several months ago Hunter Bidenthe president’s son, in crimes related to taxes and in making a false statement in the purchase of weapons, according to sources familiar with the investigation.

Evidence collected by FBI and IRS investigators has been sent to the U.S. Attorney’s office in Delaware, sources said.

A spokesman for the Trump-appointed U.S. attorney in Delaware declined to comment. The Washington Post first reported that the agency had submitted evidence of the alleged crimes to federal prosecutors.

Chris Clark, Biden’s lawyer, criticized the FBI in a statement to CBS News, accusing someone at the agency of leaking information from the grand jury, which would be a felony that he expects “the Department of Justice will vigorously investigate and prosecute.”

“As is proper and required by law, we believe that the prosecution in this case carefully and thoroughly weighed not only the evidence presented by the agents, but also all other witnesses in this case, including the defense witnesses. That’s the job of prosecutors,” Clark said.

A source close to Hunter Biden told CBS News that Biden’s team believes the leak was prompted by frustration at the FBI with prosecutors’ handling of the case. Biden’s team believes the bureau is trying to force prosecutors to act.

The FBI is facing increasing pressure from Republicans in Congress over allegations that it makes decisions based on political considerations.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Delaware has been investigating Hunter Biden since at least 2019. A federal subpoena from that year obtained by CBS News seeks Hunter Biden’s bank records dating back to 2014, when Joe Biden was vice president. According to sources familiar with the matter, investigators are looking into whether Biden owes taxes on income from a controversial job during his father’s vice presidency as a board member of Ukrainian energy company Burisma.

CBS News reported in May that Biden had received financial support from high-profile Hollywood attorney Kevin Morris, who sources say paid off Biden’s delinquent tax debts.

The December 2020 subpoena sought documents as far back as January 2017 “relating to (Hunter) Biden’s income, assets, debts, liabilities and financial transactions … and all personal and business expenses.”

The subpoena also demanded “all federal, state, local and foreign tax records related to (Hunter) Biden.”

The prosecutor’s office is investigating Hunter Biden also subpoenaed documents from the paternity suit, which included his tax records, according to the documents and an attorney involved in the matter.

The investigation into Hunter Biden’s finances was led by U.S. Attorney David Weiss, who was appointed by then-President Donald Trump in 2018. At the time, he served as Delaware’s state office chief and received the endorsements of state Sens. Tom Carper and Chris Coons, both Democrats.

In February 2021, shortly after Biden took office, dozens of Trump-appointed federal prosecutors were asked to resign, but then-Acting Attorney General Monty Wilkinson asked Weiss to stay on the joba Justice Department official told CBS News.

Mr. Biden said he had no involvement in his son’s business dealings, and there was no evidence to refute that.

“I have never taken a dime from any foreign source in my life,” Mr. Biden said in an October 2020 presidential debate.