The son of former Vice President Joe Biden, Hunter Biden, has filed a lawsuit against Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler, both of whom work for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), saying that they leaked sensitive information regarding his taxes during public interviews and declarations. The legal team that is representing IRS Supervisory Special Agent Gary Shapley in the case responded to the complaint by issuing a statement in which they condemned the action and defended their client’s behavior.
The lawyers for Shapley have referred to the case as a “frivolous smear,” claiming that it was filed by counsel for Hunter Biden’s family with the intention of distracting attention from Hunter Biden’s legal difficulties and frightening prospective whistleblowers. They referred to the decision of a federal court in Delaware who had previously dismissed similar allegations against the whistleblowers. The judge had done so in the past, noting concerns about the breadth of the immunity that was provided to Hunter Biden in a plea agreement with the Department of Justice.
It was stated by Shapley’s legal team that neither Shapley nor any of his attorneys had ever disclosed any sensitive taxpayer information, with the exception of whistleblower disclosures that were permitted by laws. They maintained that after Congress made the testimony supplied by the whistleblowers public, it became material that could be discussed since it was considered to be in the public domain.
Shapley and Joseph Ziegler had previously testified in front of Congress to shed light on what they thought to be a double standard in the way in which the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Justice handled the investigation against Hunter Biden. During the course of the inquiry, they claimed that they were barred from pursuing lines of questioning that may expose Joe Biden and that Hunter Biden received preferential treatment. Additionally, they alleged that the investigation was biased against Hunter Biden.
In the complaint filed by Hunter Biden, the plaintiff asserts that the whistleblowers violated his rights by publicly disclosing his sensitive tax information while participating in many interviews and making public remarks. In addition, the complaint asserts that the whistleblowers made specific charges regarding certain tax years, deductions, and tax obligations that could only be learned by an examination of the defendant’s physical tax returns.
The legal struggle that is taking place between Hunter Biden and the agents of the IRS is still going on, and the outcome is still unknown.