IRS Hunter Biden whistleblowers will probe alleged wrongdoing in case
The Treasury Department is bringing on two IRS whistleblowers to probe the Biden administration’s handling of the investigation of Hunter Biden’s tax practices.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced Tuesday that Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler, who alleged there was political interference in the Hunter Biden investigation, would be senior advisers at the department.
Shapley and Ziegler will have “a year to investigate the wrongdoing that’s going on at the IRS,” Bessent said on Fox Business.
“We’ll learn what’s been going on at the IRS, what’s been wrong, how could this Hunter Biden nonsense have happened. And we’re going to make sure it doesn’t happen to anyone again, whether they’re Republicans, Democrats or independents,” Bessent said.
In a separate statement, he said they would “help further the agency’s focus on collections, modernization, and customer service, so we can deliver a more effective and efficient IRS experience for hardworking American taxpayers.”
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), a senior tax writer and longtime advocate for whistleblowers, praised the move, after urging Bessent last month to offer leadership roles to Shapley and Ziegler at the IRS.
Shapley and Ziegler argued in congressional testimony and elsewhere that political meddling led to Hunter Biden receiving special treatment in the tax inquiry.
Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to a string of federal tax crimes last year in California, after a previous plea agreement collapsed. Former President Joe Biden pardoned his son late last year, shortly before leaving office.
Shapley, Ziegler and their congressional allies also charged that the IRS illegally retaliated against the two whistleblowers.
“If we reinstate whistleblowers who have been retaliated against, it will send a clear signal that pointing out wrongdoing is an honorable thing to do,” Grassley said, in a statement.
Toby Eckert contributed to this report.
