IRS whistleblowers claim they were banned from investigating Joe Biden in Hunter Biden probe

IRS whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler allege they were barred from investigating President Joe Biden during the federal probe into his son, Hunter Biden.

In an interview with investigative journalist Catherine Herridge, the whistleblowers claimed that the IRS routinely overlooks misconduct by high-profile individuals, whom they label as “sensitive persons.” According to Ziegler, prosecutors specifically told IRS investigators “that they didn’t want to ask about the big guy, because they knew it was Joe Biden.”

Shapley and Ziegler stated that the IRS, FBI, and DOJ were aware that Hunter Biden’s laptop was real but prohibited investigators from looking into it. “There were a lot of overt investigative steps that we were not allowed to take because we had an upcoming election,” Ziegler noted, suggesting political considerations may have influenced the investigation.

Both whistleblowers described experiencing retaliation since speaking out, with Shapley saying, “The IRS just has a smothering blanket on me hoping that I quit, that they find some way to terminate me or commit suicide or something.” Ziegler echoed his frustration, stating that he is up against “a machine that has millions of dollars that has the ability to fight me.” Despite these challenges, Shapley and Ziegler expressed a sense of vindication after Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to the tax charges outlined in the indictment. “Seeing the charges validated some of our concerns,” Shapley noted, although they feel the IRS’s treatment of them has overshadowed the investigation.

The two shared an email from their IRS supervisor thanking them for their work after Hunter Biden’s conviction, but Shapley remarked, “Those are words that are not supported by the actions of the agency.” He added, “This to me was someone who knows the IRS watchdog is looking into the way that they’ve handled this and they see the writing on the wall. This really is an example of them just covering their backside like a true bureaucracy.”

Previously, Shapley and Ziegler testified before Congress, alleging a “pattern of slow-walking investigative steps” into Hunter Biden, including during the Trump administration in the months before the 2020 election. Shapley claimed that the DOJ “dragged its feet” in investigating the president's son’s taxes, while Ziegler stated Hunter “received preferential treatment” throughout the process.

One of Shapley’s most detailed claims was that U.S. Attorney David Weiss, the federal prosecutor in Delaware leading the case, sought special counsel status to bring tax charges in jurisdictions outside Delaware, such as Washington, D.C., and California, but was denied. Weiss and the DOJ dispute this, asserting that Weiss had “full authority” and never sought to bring charges in other states.

Hunter Biden has since filed a lawsuit against the IRS, alleging that Shapley and Ziegler were part of a “campaign to publicly smear” him. The charges against Hunter Biden, which stemmed from a 2018 investigation, led to recent guilty pleas for felony and misdemeanor tax charges. Prosecutors accused Hunter of spending lavishly on “everything but his taxes” during a period of substance abuse, from which he became sober in 2019.