GOP Lawmakers Urge DOJ IG to Probe US Attorney

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Sen. Tom Cotton R-Ark., and Rep. Lloyd Smucker, R-Pa., are calling on the Justice Department Inspector General to investigate U.S. Attorney Jacqueline Romero for alleged retaliation against one of her deputies, who had worked on the Hunter Biden probe.

Romero is the U.S. attorney for the eastern district of Pennsylvania.

“After the AUSA was temporarily detailed to the Hunter Biden investigation, and even though the AUSA remained an employee of the Philadelphia U.S. Attorney’s Office, Ms. Romero revoked the AUSA’s office access,” they said in a letter to Michael Horowitz, the DOJ’s inspector general, referring to the assistant U.S. attorney.

“Past precedent shows that other detailed AUSAs did not lose office access. Ms. Romero also denied the AUSA’s request to maintain a portion of their local docket. Historically, it is common practice for prosecutors detailed from the Eastern District of Pennsylvania to continue work on their local cases.

“It has been publicly reported that Ms. Romero told the AUSA that she objected to their assignment because of her relationship with the Biden family, and because of (Hunter Biden’s late brother) Beau Biden’s past employment in the Philadelphia U.S. Attorney’s Office. Ms. Romero has a long history of donating to President Biden’s campaigns, as well as numerous other Democrat candidates since 2007.”

The two lawmakers did not identify the assistant U.S. attorney, but in February the New York Post said Romero had terminated building access to Derek Hines, who joined a pre-indictment criminal investigation into Hunter Biden and his millions of dollars of foreign income.

Romero was nominated to her position by President Joe Biden in 2022 and has had a connection to the Biden family via Beau, who died of brain cancer in 2015. According to the Post’s sources, Romero “left little doubt” that Hunter Biden should not face charges.

But Romero’s office in February denied the claims.

“Members of this office had relationships with Beau Biden, as colleagues, friends, and supervisors, when he was an Assistant U.S. Attorney here,” a Public Affairs Office statement said in February.

Romero and her lieutenant, first assistant U.S. Attorney Nelson Thayer, co-lead of the Philadelphia office, are considered partners on management decisions, according to the Post.

“USA Romero does not have a relationship with the Biden family and didn’t express any view on the merits of the Hunter Biden investigation,” the statement added. “AUSA Thayer did not communicate to colleagues that AUSA Hines was ‘banned’ from the office, and AUSA Hines’ office was not taken away. It sits untouched, awaiting his return. When his detail is concluded, the office looks forward to him resuming his duties here as an Assistant U.S. Attorney.”