A group of senior Congressional Republicans is calling for an investigation into what they perceive as “unlawful whistleblower retaliation against veteran IRS employees” involved in the scrutiny of Hunter Biden, the president’s son.
Senators Chuck Grassley and Ron Johnson, along with Reps. Jason Smith, James Comer, and Jim Jordan, sent a letter to special counsel Henry Kerner, urging him to look into claims of retaliation against federal whistleblowers. The Republicans argue that IRS officials violated rules that are designed to protect federal employees from being silenced. This letter is part of an ongoing effort by Republicans to bring attention to allegations that the IRS hindered the investigation into Hunter Biden. They have also requested a briefing on the actions taken by Kerner’s office no later than July 19.
The Republicans cited two internal emails from IRS administrators as evidence. In one email, they claim that a special agent reminded personnel on May 19 that they needed to seek approval from a supervisor before sharing case information. In another email sent on May 25, an IRS deputy commissioner expressed the agency’s commitment to whistleblower protections. However, the Republicans argue that the email failed to inform IRS employees of their right to make lawful disclosures to Congress.
The Congressmen wrote in their letter, “The Deputy Commissioner’s email states IRS employees may make (disclosures) to a supervisor, management, the DOJ Office of the Inspector General, or the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration but blatantly fails to provide that IRS employees have the right to make lawful disclosures to Congress.”
Furthermore, the Republican lawmakers emphasized that IRS employees are entitled to make lawful disclosures to Congress if they believe that a tax return or return information “may relate to possible misconduct, maladministration, or taxpayer abuse.”
The letter stated, “The importance of protecting whistleblowers from unlawful retaliation and informing whistleblowers about their rights under the law cannot be understated.”
A spokesperson for Kerner’s office confirmed that they received the letter and are currently reviewing its contents.
In a court filing on June 20, Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss, a Trump appointee overseeing the investigation into Hunter Biden, announced that Hunter Biden has agreed to plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax counts and judicial diversion related to a felony gun charge. The plea deal will be subject to approval by a judge at a hearing scheduled for July 26.
The allegations of retaliation were initially raised by IRS supervisory agent Gary Shapley. Shapley’s attorneys wrote a letter in May to members of Congress stating that he and his team were taken off the investigation “at the request of the Department of Justice.” Shapley testified behind closed doors to members of Congress on May 26 and June 1. In an interview with CBS News, Shapley stated, “All of the things that I’ve testified in front of the House Ways and Means Committee is from my perspective, but it’s based on the experience I’ve gained over 14 years.”
In response to the allegations, Weiss wrote a letter on June 30 denying any retaliation by the Department of Justice. He quoted a letter from Jim Jordan, the House Judiciary Committee Chair, and stated, “The Department of Justice did not retaliate against ‘an Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) Criminal Supervisory Special Agent and whistleblower, as well as his entire investigative team.'” Jordan and other House Republicans have requested closed-door interviews with Weiss, but he stated that he cannot meet with Congress while the Hunter Biden investigation is ongoing.
An attorney for Hunter Biden accused House Republicans of using the whistleblower claims to sabotage the plea deal.
In June, the two IRS whistleblowers began the process of coming forward months before their closed-door testimony with the House Ways and Means Committee. The White House referred to a previously released statement when asked about Shapley’s testimony, which stated, “President Biden has made clear that this matter would be handled independently by the Justice Department, under the leadership of a U.S. attorney appointed by former President Trump, free from any political interference by the White House. He has upheld that commitment.”
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