Retired FBI exec says Justice Department's handling of Hunter Biden case almost 'ludicrous'

Retired FBI executive Scott Nelson is criticizing the Justice Department for taking roughly five years to investigate Hunter Biden on alleged tax and gun violations, only to bring charges so light they appear politically motivated.

"The Department of Justice, in my humble view, and in the view of many others, they're slow walking," he said on the "John Solomon Reports" podcast. "They undercharged that to a point of it being almost ludicrous."

Biden in late June reached a plea deal with federal prosecutors in which he would admit to two misdemeanor tax charges and a felony gun charge that could later be dismissed.

The Justice Department recommends he receive probation, and Biden, 53, is expected to go before U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika on July 26 in Wilmington, Del., to formally agree to the plea agreement, which is expected to spare him time behind bars.

Nelson spoke following recent whistleblower allegations from two IRS agents who worked on the case and contend Biden administration officials worked to slow the investigation and to prevent the worst charges from being brought against the president's son.

"I also understand ... that prosecution of him was downgraded to the point, I mean, I hate this word, but it's called a 'nothing burger.' And it became a nothing burger," he said. "Not only did he avoid paying taxes on a lot of money, but he avoided jail time for a gun-related charge that under any other conditions would have been prosecuted much more severely."

The case was led by Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss and centered on the tax years 2018 and 2019 in which Biden failed to pay over $100,000 of income taxes that he owed each year, according to court filings.

However, one whistleblower allegation is that Biden's tax violations date back to 2014 and the past due amount is in fact millions of dollars.

Biden also lied about his drug use on a 2018 federal form to purchase a handgun.

"If you lie to the FBI ... you go to jail in a way or you know, you get charged," Nelson also said Wednesday. "But in this case, that was far more serious. I think it's been slow walked by the FBI ... They're dragging their heels. I don't think it's been given sufficient investigative attention because of the politicization of the Department of Justice."

He also suggested the problem is the FBI is "lacking leadership at the director level," which points the finger at FBI Director Christopher Wray. 

"I think the agents are exceptional," Nelson said, amid concerns about the bureau having become increasingly politicized, particularly after revelations about how it charged ahead with an investigation into possible collusion between Russia and the 2016 Trump presidential campaign based on unsubstantiated claims. 

"According to polls, overwhelming polls, ongoing polls, the trust, the confidence and the support of the FBI, has diminished, has tanked," Nelson said. 

He also accused Wray of "leading from the middle."

"He's not serving either side," Nelson said. "And as a result, our ship is wandering through this ocean, and somebody's going to sink it. And the FBI is going to going to be hurt by that."

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.