IRS Supervisory Special Agents Gary Shapley (l) and Joe Ziegler are sworn-in a House Committee on Oversight and Accountability hearing about alleged misconduct by the Biden administration. (Credit: Bonnie Cash/UPI)
A federal watchdog has concluded that the IRS improperly silenced and retaliated against two whistleblower agents who came forward to testify in 2023 about misconduct in the Hunter Biden tax case.
The non-partisan investigation confirms IRS whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler were mistreated by IRS superiors for testifying about how IRS and DOJ officials obstructed investigative steps during the probe into Hunter Biden’s overdue taxes.
“At long last, the career nonpartisan staff at OSC responsible for investigating whistleblower retaliation has finally reached some conclusions. OSC confirmed in a December 30, 2024 email to counsel for the whistleblowers that it found the IRS issued illegal gag orders and improperly removed them from the Hunter Biden investigation as reprisal for their protected disclosures,” Shapley’s attorney Tristan Leavitt wrote in a letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R., Iowa).
National Review explains OSC is an independent federal agency “primarily responsible for handling whistleblower complaints and other prohibited personnel practices.”
“Meanwhile, SSA Shapley and SA Zeigler still endure ongoing retaliation every day. Since SSA Shapley became a whistleblower, the IRS has also bypassed him for numerous promotions even though he demonstrated the leadership, knowledge, and competence required for the jobs,” Leavitt wrote.