The House Ways and Means Committee granted two attorneys representing the Internal Revenue Service whistleblower authority to inspect Hunter Biden's tax returns and related information.
Because the Section 6103 exception does not also allow a whistleblower the right to disclose the information to his attorney, the whistleblower would be forced to face the committees without the benefit of legal counsel.
Further, because Section 6103 defines "Return information" broadly to include the nature and sources of income, data collected by the IRS, and "Any background file document" or "Written determination" prepared by the IRS, the whistleblower also could not legally discuss with his attorney many aspects of an investigation to prepare to testify before the congressional committees.
The letter stressed that because of tax privacy laws, the IRS whistleblower, "Out of an abundance of caution," had "Refrained from sharing certain information" with Lytle while seeking his legal advice.
As explained above, while Section 6103 authorized the whistleblower to share confidential taxpayer information with two specific committees, he or she could not give that information to Lytle or any other attorney.
No timetable has been announced for the next steps, but a source familiar with the investigation indicated a proffer by the whistleblower's attorneys to the House Ways and Means Committee could occur as early as this week, with the whistleblower testifying soon after.
The whistleblower's accusations thus extend far beyond the tax case against Hunter Biden.
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