IRS whistleblowers claim Hunter Biden investigation was disrupted by Biden DOJ's alleged 'abuse of power'

Two IRS whistleblowers claim Hunter Biden benefitted from abuse of authority and interference from President Joe Biden's Department of Justice in the investigation into his alleged tax crimes.

Two whistleblowers from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) testified before Congress, claiming that Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, received preferential treatment and benefited from an "abuse of authority" and interference from the Department of Justice in an inter-agency investigation into his alleged tax crimes. Supervisory Special Agent Gary Shapley and Criminal Investigator Joseph Ziegler, who have a combined 27 years of experience at the IRS, stated that Hunter Biden's case was handled differently from others they had encountered. They specifically mentioned Assistant U.S. Attorney Lesley Wolf, who allegedly obstructed investigators' plans to interview the president and conduct a search warrant at the Biden residence in Delaware.

Previously released court documents revealed that Hunter Biden, who pleaded guilty to federal misdemeanor tax-related charges, will face an additional charge related to possessing a gun while being a drug user. However, this firearm charge will be subject to a pretrial diversion agreement, meaning Hunter Biden's lawyers negotiated a deal that will likely spare him from prison time. Republicans criticized this plea deal as a "sweetheart deal," and it was a focal point of the congressional hearing.

Shapley, who worked on Hunter Biden's case, testified that both the IRS and Delaware State prosecutors recommended charging him with multiple felonies and misdemeanors related to his tax filings from 2014 to 2019. Shapley claimed that political appointees of President Biden had a say in whether to charge the president's son, and the final plea deal was significantly less severe than what the IRS initially recommended, partly because the investigation exceeded the statute of limitations for some alleged crimes. Shapley alleged that evidence was concealed from investigators and decisions were consistently made to benefit Hunter Biden and President Biden, suggesting a clear pattern of preferential treatment and obstruction of the normal investigative process.

Ziegler echoed these concerns about ethical violations and abuse of authority, stating that Hunter Biden failed to report and pay significant tax amounts and that there was "gross mismanagement" of his case. He called for a special counsel to investigate the matter. Both IRS employees claimed that they tried to report these issues within their agency but felt compelled to come forward as whistleblowers when their concerns were not adequately addressed.

This testimony adds to a series of allegations of financial impropriety involving the Biden family. During the hearing, House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer outlined these allegations, asserting that the Bidens and their associates established over 20 shell companies, most of which were created while Joe Biden was vice president. Comer claimed that these companies received at least $10 million, with funds flowing in from foreign countries such as China, Ukraine, and Romania.

Comer argued that the complicated financial transactions were deliberately designed to conceal the source and total amounts of the funds, suggesting that the Bidens were leveraging their influence and access to the Biden network. President Biden has consistently dismissed accusations related to overseas payments to him or his family.

The committee has obtained thousands of pages of financial records, including bank records for the Biden family and their associates, as well as Treasury Department "suspicious activity reports" that highlight significant transactions with foreign businesses. Comer cited one specific instance where the committee obtained FBI documentation regarding an alleged bribe from an executive at Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company where Hunter Biden previously served on the board. According to Comer, the FBI record, generated by a trusted confidential human source, details an extortion and bribery scheme involving then-Vice President Biden and the Burisma executive. The executive claimed to have paid Joe Biden $5 million in exchange for certain actions, though the money was allegedly funneled through multiple bank accounts.

U.S. Rep. Jason Smith, chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, called for more whistleblowers to come forward and emphasized that there would be no tolerance for any retaliation against them. Smith criticized both the IRS and the Department of Justice for their handling of Hunter Biden's case, accusing them of delaying the investigation, divulging key details to Biden's attorneys and the President's transition team, and allowing the statute of limitations to expire for many of the crimes involved.

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