IRS whistleblowers testify over Hunter Biden investigation

On Wednesday, two IRS agents testified before Congress for the first time regarding their allegations that officials within the Justice Department improperly interfered in the federal investigation into Hunter Biden, President Biden’s son.

⚖️ Some quick background: Last month, Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges for failing to pay about $1 million in federal taxes on a combined $3 million worth of unreported taxable income in 2017-18.

The deal, which likely means the president’s son will avoid any jail time, ended a five-year criminal investigation into a range of Hunter Biden’s activities. These include his tax records, his role in foreign businesses – including a board seat with Ukrainian energy company Burisma – and whether he violated foreign lobbying or money laundering laws.

🏛️ That brings us to Wednesday… when IRS Special Agents Joseph Ziegler and Gary Shapley, who said they played a central role in the Hunter Biden investigation, testified that DOJ prosecutors didn’t appear to follow normal investigative procedures while probing Biden’s affairs.

Instead, the two whistleblowers claim DOJ officials placed roadblocks to obstruct the investigation – including ordering prosecutors to avoid certain topics such as Joe Biden’s potential involvement – and ignored an internal recommendation for both felony and misdemeanor tax charges against Hunter Biden.

• Ziegler also alleges the DOJ investigation found members of the Biden family (not including Joe Biden) received a combined ~$17 million from foreign business dealings in Ukraine, Romania, and China from 2014 to 2019.
• House Republicans claim these payments were part of an illegal influence-peddling scheme involving then-VP Joe Biden (but haven’t yet produced conclusive evidence showing he was involved).

🔀 On the flip side: House Democrats express skepticism of the two IRS whistleblowers’ testimony, and question the accuracy of connecting President Biden – or members of his administration – to the DOJ’s alleged failures.

• They note the DOJ team investigating Hunter Biden was formed under former President Trump, and was led by a Trump-appointed attorney who submitted written testimony denying several of the whistleblowers’ claims.
• Democrats also say that some of the delays described by the whistleblowers occurred in 2019 and 2020 due to laws implemented by then-AG William Barr, another Trump appointee.

📊 Flash poll: In general, does the Hunter Biden situation impact whether you’ll vote for Joe Biden in the 2024 presidential election?

Yes

No

Unsure/other