Hunter Biden has recently filed a lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), alleging the unlawful disclosure of his personal tax information. This suspected breach of the Privacy Act has highlighted two IRS agents in particular: Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler.
Biden’s complaint comes after the House Committee on Ways and Means released interview transcripts of Shapley and Ziegler. These documents raise suspicions that the Department of Justice (DOJ) may have interfered with the IRS investigation into Hunter Biden, possibly delaying it to reach the statute of limitations.
The crux of Biden’s complaint stems from Ziegler’s conflicting statements during his interview with CNN and Shapley’s assertions throughout his interview with Fox News. The compliant alleges that Ziegler contradicted his testimony to the Oversight Committee regarding the nature of the recommended charges for Biden in 2017. Furthermore, Shapley is accused of asserting that Biden had a tax deficiency spanning five years, from 2014 to 2019.
Biden’s complaint cites the violation of 26 U.S.C. 6103, a code that prohibits the disclosure of any individual’s tax information with few exceptions, arguable none of which cover the public statements made by the agents.
The Biden family has come under significant political scrutiny of late. Despite allegations by whistleblowers that Hunter Biden has received preferential treatment in this matter, he was charged with failure to pay taxes and firearms offenses in June, to which he pleaded not guilty. Additionally, he was indicted on federal firearms charges in September. Meanwhile, an impeachment inquiry has been launched into President Joe Biden by the House of Representatives.