A coalition of leading Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives is raising concerns about allegations that the Internal Revenue Service has retaliated against whistleblowers.
IRS whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler came forward and testified before Congress last year that the Biden administration mishandled the investigation into the alleged tax misdeeds of Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden’s son.
The whistleblowers testified before Congress, as the Center Square previously reported, that Hunter received special treatment. Hunter Biden faces pending tax charges.
Shapley and Ziegler have worked for the IRS with a combined 27 experience years at the agency and were directly involved in Hunter Biden’s case. They told Congress this case was handled differently than past cases and that the Biden administration sought preferential treatment for the president’s son.
In one case, the whistleblowers testified that Assistant U.S. Attorney Lesley Wolf helped prevent IRS investigators from getting a search warrant for the Biden home in Delaware and also blocked an attempt at interviewing the president.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer, R-La., and other leading Republicans sent a letter to Acting Principal Deputy Special Counsel Karen Gorman at the DOJ.
“IRS whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler have been wholly consistent in their testimony about misconduct and politicization in the Department of Justice’s criminal investigation of Hunter Biden,” the letter said.
The letter says the whistleblowers have faced retaliation for coming forward.
“They did exactly what an honorable government employee should do: when they witnessed wrongdoing, they reported it responsibly and made legally protected disclosures,” the letter said. “Because of their bravery and integrity, we are finally beginning to see steps toward accountability. But this has not come without great cost to them. Mr. Shapley and Ziegler have faced retaliation for doing the right thing.
Shapley and Ziegler have filed federal claims saying they have been retaliated against, but so far those claims are pending with no action taken on their behalf.
“The U.S. Office of Special Counsel, which is tasked with protecting whistleblowers, must conduct an impartial investigation of the claims of Mr. Shapley and Ziegler without improper influence from those seeking to smear these courageous individuals,” the letter continued.
