In a legal saga that continues to unfold against a politically charged backdrop, Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, has taken legal action against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The lawsuit, filed on Monday, alleges that two IRS agents improperly shared his confidential tax information, a move Hunter Biden claims was an attempt to target and embarrass him.
The suit arrives amid escalating legal and political challenges for Hunter Biden, with the 2024 presidential election looming on the horizon. The allegations within the lawsuit shed light on what Hunter Biden perceives as a violation of federal whistleblower protections, asserting that these protections do not extend to the sharing of confidential information in public interviews and congressional testimony.
The heart of the matter revolves around a long-running investigation into Hunter Biden, which has recently escalated. Just days ago, he faced federal firearms charges related to the alleged falsification of information regarding his drug use when purchasing a gun in October 2018. Hunter Biden’s legal defense team has indicated their intention to vigorously contest these charges, setting the stage for a potentially high-stakes trial that could coincide with the 2024 election season.
In his civil lawsuit, filed in Washington, Hunter Biden claims that the IRS agents’ disclosures included specific tax years under investigation, deductions, and allegations related to his tax liability. It’s important to note that the suit does not challenge the legitimacy of the investigation itself but instead seeks to compel compliance with federal tax and privacy laws. It also aims to halt the dissemination of what Hunter Biden calls “unsubstantiated allegations” and the “unlawful disclosure” of his tax information.
The two IRS agents named in the lawsuit, Greg Shapley and Joe Ziegler, have asserted that there was a pattern of “slow-walking investigative steps” when it came to Hunter Biden’s case, as they testified before Congress. Both agents have denied any political motivations behind their actions. They have also contended that the prosecutor overseeing the investigation, Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss, lacked full authority to bring charges in jurisdictions beyond Delaware.
Weiss, who was initially appointed by former President Donald Trump and retained to oversee the Hunter Biden probe, has refuted claims of insufficient authority, with Attorney General Merrick Garland affirming Weiss’s complete authority. However, Weiss was recently granted special counsel status, bestowing him with extensive investigative powers.
The legal drama surrounding Hunter Biden took an unexpected turn when a plea deal that included misdemeanor charges for failing to pay taxes on time and an agreement on the gun charge fell apart in court due to questions raised by a judge. Critics, including Republicans, had criticized the proposed plea agreement as a “sweetheart deal.”
As this legal battle unfolds, it remains to be seen how it will impact the broader political landscape and whether it will overshadow the policy agenda of the Biden administration. The IRS and the attorneys representing the two agents have yet to respond publicly to the lawsuit, leaving many questions unanswered in a story that continues to captivate the public’s attention.Hunter Biden Files Lawsuit Against IRS Alleging Unauthorized Sharing of Tax Information