Judge Warns DOJ and House GOP in Hunter Biden Case: ‘I’m Not Bluffing’ as Legal Battle Stalls

A federal judge, frustrated by the ongoing legal fight surrounding the House investigation into Hunter Biden’s finances, has managed to broker a temporary pause in the dispute, delaying the proceedings until next year. This decision came after a tense two-hour hearing on Wednesday, where U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes made it clear she wouldn’t tolerate further delays and even threatened to bring the top officials involved into her courtroom to resolve the issue.

According to Politico, Judge Reyes, who was appointed by President Joe Biden, warned the attorneys representing the GOP investigators and the Justice Department that if the matter wasn’t resolved soon, she would order Attorney General Merrick Garland and House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-OH) to litigate the dispute themselves. “Don’t test me on this. … I’m not bluffing,” Reyes said during the hearing.

The case stems from a long-standing effort by House Republicans to uncover potential political interference by the White House in the investigation into Hunter Biden’s failure to pay income taxes. As part of their probe, the House Judiciary Committee sought testimony from two Justice Department tax lawyers who had worked on the case. The Republicans have been searching for evidence that the Biden administration pressured officials during the investigation, but this pursuit has led to a drawn-out legal battle that has tested the court’s patience.

Reyes, who has been overseeing the case for months, expressed increasing frustration with both sides during the hearing. She pointed out that by next year, when the parties are scheduled to reconvene, there will likely be a new Congress and possibly a new president, which could reduce the political appetite for continuing the legal fight. Politico noted that these developments could diminish the relevance of the House GOP’s efforts to link the investigation to a potential impeachment of President Joe Biden.

One of the most striking moments of the hearing came when Reyes addressed the Judiciary Committee’s belief that two low-level Justice Department attorneys could provide crucial information. She bluntly dismissed the idea, telling the attorneys, “I’m willing to bet everything I own, plus my dog Scout, that these two line attorneys are going to have zero information to confirm your suspicion.”

Reyes also expressed outrage over the amount of taxpayer money already spent in the legal battle over the subpoena, revealing that $1.1 million in public funds had been used so far. She called it “an outrageous waste of taxpayer funds,” according to Politico, signaling her deep frustration with the prolonged and costly legal wrangling.

The judge’s stern warning and her insistence on efficiency underscore the growing exasperation within the courts over politically charged legal disputes. As this case drags into the next year, it remains uncertain how it will play out in the long term, particularly as the political landscape in Washington continues to shift. For now, both sides have agreed to postpone the fight, but Reyes made it clear that she won’t allow the delay to go on indefinitely.