The federal investigation into Hunter Biden’s tax affairs began quietly in 2018. It was two years later that Biden released a statement saying that he had only just become aware of this development. Biden claimed that he was not worried and that he was sure a thorough investigation would clear all suspicion. Investigators were looking into whether Hunter Biden and his associates violated tax laws or acted as “an unregistered foreign lobbying agent” according to Newsweek. This probe is being led by Trump-appointed Delaware US Attorney, David Weiss.
What did the whistleblower reveal?
An IRS whistleblower has come out to bring light to suspected mishandling of this case. The whistleblower’s attorneys, in a letter to the US Office of Special Counsel, claims that political interference is skewing the progress of the probe. In this letter, Hunter Biden is not named but instead refers to a “high-profile, controversial subject.” According to CNN’s sources, this was confirmed to be Hunter Biden. The letter points out the internal conflicts of interest in the Justice Department regarding the case and some “irregularities” in their management. Although details have not been revealed in the letter, the whistleblower (through his attorneys) has asked for a joint meeting with the House and Senate committees.
This has been yet another pain point for the whisteblower in that there has been confusion regarding this scheduled meeting. Apparently it has been taking Congress a long time to decide on a date to meet.
In a letter to several House and Senate committees, one of the whistleblower’s attorneys, Mark Lytle, claimed that “Despite serious risks of retaliation, my client is offering to provide you with information necessary to exercise your constitutional oversight function and wishes to make the disclosures in a nonpartisan manner to the leadership of the relevant committees on both sides of the political aisle.”
The whistleblower revealed that he and his associates were removed from their position in the investigation at the purported request of the Department of Justice. The Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989 (WPA) is a law that prohibits retaliation against whistleblowers, and if the employee’s removal was due to his whistleblowing, that is against the law.
The IRS claims that “When suggestions of wrongdoing are raised, we work with all appropriate parties, including the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, to ensure the integrity of the whistleblower process is safeguarded.”
Who is the whistleblower?
On Wednesday, Gary Shapley, a 14-year veteran of the IRS, went public as the whistleblower. He claimed that he had been raising concerns about how this case was being dealt even during the Trump administration. During an interview with CBS News, Shapley says it was during an October 2022 meeting that “it just got to that point where that switch was turned on, and I just couldn’t silence my conscience anymore.” Stating that he is not political motivated to bring up this concern, Shapley alleges that it was his oath of office and conscience that led him to speak out.
“When I took control of this particular investigation, I immediately saw deviations from the normal process. It was way outside the norm of what I’ve experienced in the past.”
gary Shapley
Next steps
While this probe has been ongoing for several years, it seems to be picking up in the past months. Just a couple days ago, another whistleblower from the same investigative team has expressed his own concerns about how the case was handled.
“The lack of IRS-[Criminal Investigation] senior leadership involvement in this investigation is deeply troubling and unacceptable. Rather than recognizing the need to ensure close engagement and full support of the investigatory team in this extraordinarily sensitive case, the response too often had been that we were isolated (even when I said on multiple occasions that I wasn’t being heard and that I thought I wasn’t able to perform my job adequately because of the actions of the USAO and DOJ, my concerns were ignored by senior leadership).”
Regardless of what the Hunter Biden probe reveals, President Joe Biden’s 2024 re-election plans will face backlash as a result. While political officials on both sides argue about the impact of Hunter Biden’s case––whichever way it falls––many are also wondering about the personal impact on the President. The White House has repeatedly stated that they will allow the case to run its course with no influence from their side.
By: Advika Rajeev