House Republicans called upon two IRS whistleblowers to publicly testify for the first time, shedding light on their claims that the Justice Department hindered a tax investigation involving Hunter Biden and restricted their ability to pursue leads that could implicate President Biden. Hunter Biden is expected to plead guilty to misdemeanor tax charges next week, but Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler, the whistleblowers, assert that the federal tax investigation into the president’s son could have led to more serious charges.
Joseph Ziegler, also known as “Whistleblower X,” is a 13-year IRS veteran who served as the lead case agent in the federal investigation into Hunter Biden during both the Trump and Biden administrations. Ziegler, a Democrat who abstained from voting in the last presidential election to remain unbiased, recommended prosecutors to levy multiple felonies and misdemeanors against Hunter Biden in 2021. One of the allegations is that Ziegler had evidence showing that the president’s son falsely claimed business deductions for personal expenses such as his children’s college tuition, hotel bills, and payments to escorts.
Ziegler likened testifying before Congress about the investigation to the difficulty he experienced when coming out as gay, stating that he hopes to inspire other LGBTQ individuals who face the dilemma of acting in the best interest of others despite potential personal consequences. Before joining the IRS, Ziegler worked as an external auditor for Ernst and Young, earning an accounting degree from Ohio University and an MBA from John Carroll University. Throughout his career at the IRS, Ziegler handled criminal tax and money laundering cases, including high-profile investigations involving a major social media company and a billionaire.
Gary Shapley, Ziegler’s supervisor, initially brought forth the allegations against the Justice Department. As a supervisory special agent at the IRS with 14 years of experience, Shapley leads a team specializing in international tax and financial crimes. Before joining the IRS, he served as an officer with the National Security Agency’s Office of the Inspector General. Though registered as a Republican, Shapley has never made political donations or engaged in political campaigns.
Both Ziegler and Shapley provided closed-door interviews to the House Ways and Means Committee before testifying to the House Oversight Committee. Ziegler claimed that he was prevented from pursuing leads that could potentially implicate the current president during the five-year investigation. According to Ziegler, Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss, a Trump appointee, expressed support for certain felony charges but faced resistance from other Justice Department officials who believed a jury might sympathize with Hunter Biden due to his drug addiction and the death of his brother, Beau Biden. Shapley revealed that Weiss had requested special counsel status to bring charges outside of Delaware but was denied. Weiss, however, denies making such a request and asserts his ultimate authority on these matters.
The U.S. attorney’s office for Delaware declined to comment. President Biden has consistently denied any involvement in his son’s business affairs. This report includes contributions from Catherine Herridge, Michael Kaplan, and Clare Hymes.
– Catherine Herridge, Michael Kaplan, and Clare Hymes contributed to this report.
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Caitlin Yilek is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital. Contact her at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/hausofcait.
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