(USNewsBreak.com) – The president’s son, Hunter Biden, is currently facing two lawsuits — one for gun violations and one for tax evasion. However, he’s also brought a suit against the IRS, claiming that two agency whistleblowers who came forward about the alleged mishandling of his tax case belonged to a larger “campaign to publicly smear” him by releasing his private tax information. The whistleblowers are now asking the courts to dismiss the case.
Joseph Ziegler and Gary Shapley came forward in 2023 with allegations that the investigation into Hunter Biden’s taxes deviated from typical protocols. Shapley, who has worked for the IRS for over a decade, said that the Department of Justice “slow-walked” the probe, and his findings of how the agency handled the investigation were “way outside the norm.”
Ziegler, the lead case agent on the investigation into Biden, said he recommended several felony and misdemeanor charges in 2021. Of particular note, Ziegler said the president’s son improperly claimed deductions, including payments for personal expenses like his hotel bills or college tuition payments for his children.
IRS whistleblowers ask judge to dismiss Hunter Biden's lawsuit against the tax agency https://t.co/QI1rQHfx0m pic.twitter.com/18BqMe5Fqc
— CBSColorado (@CBSNewsColorado) May 18, 2024
Although Biden’s suit against the federal tax agency didn’t name Ziegler and Shapley, they have asked to intervene. Attorneys for the two agents say the Whistleblower Protection Act protects them, giving “them a right to discuss with the media the information they believed constituted gross mismanagement and an abuse of authority.”
The lawyers filed two motions. One argued for standing in the case to allow Shapley and Ziegler to defend their actions. The other motion asked the judge to dismiss the case, noting that the two IRS employees took care not to release confidential information and protected the data they did make public.
Before US District Court Judge Rudolph Contreras can rule on the motions, he is waiting for the IRS and Biden to respond to the requests.
Copyright 2024, USNewsBreak.com
