Biden sues IRS
Hunter Biden filed a lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service on Monday, alleging that two agents who have been accused of interfering with tax investigations improperly exposed his personal information. This lawsuit comes amid intensifying legal and political battles as the 2024 election approaches.
According to the lawsuit, the agents “targeted and sought to embarrass Mr. Biden” by disclosing private tax information during press appearances and congressional testimony. His attorneys contend that whistleblower protections do not apply, although one agent’s attorney claimed that any classified material disclosed was done so with whistleblower authorization and referred to the lawsuit as a “frivolous smear.”
The action represents Biden’s most recent legal retaliation as a protracted FBI probe into him progresses against a starkly politicized background. Included in this is an impeachment investigation directed at President Joe Biden in an effort to link him to his son’s business transactions.
“Mr. Biden is the eldest child of the American president. He is subject to the same obligations as any other American citizen, and the IRS can and ought to ensure that he fulfills them, according to the complaint. The same is true for Mr. Biden: “Similarly, Mr. Biden has no fewer or lesser rights than any other American citizen, and no government agency or government agent” has unrestricted authority to infringe on his rights due to his status as an American citizen.
According to the lawsuit, the IRS hasn’t taken sufficient steps to prevent the disclosure of his personal information. It aims to “force compliance with federal tax and privacy laws” and to punish violators with $1,000 in damages.
In testimony before Congress, IRS supervisory special agent Greg Shapley and another agent, Joe Ziegler, asserted that there was a pattern of “slow-walking investigative steps” into Hunter Biden. They claimed that the U.S. Attorney for Delaware, David Weiss, who was in charge of the inquiry, lacked the necessary power to file charges elsewhere. That has been refuted by Weiss and the Justice Department.
The lawsuit, according to Shapley’s attorney, was a “frivolous smear” intended to “intimidate any current and future whistleblowers.” According to his lawyer, he only disclosed legally sanctioned whistleblower disclosures of sensitive tax information. “Like every American citizen, he has a right to discuss that public information,” said the speaker after Congress revealed the testimony.
According to Ziegler’s attorney, he will “continue to speak out” against what he views as Hunter Biden receiving “special treatment” in the case’s processing.
In a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, the GOP-controlled House Oversight Committee described the two men as “good people who did everything right to obtain whistleblower protection with the best interest of our country in mind.” The agents stated during their July testimony before the committee that their “investigation will continue.”
The IRS refused to respond, citing the ongoing legal dispute.
The elder Biden spoke frequently to his son and did attend a business dinner with his son’s associates while serving as vice president, but the White House has claimed that he was not involved in his son’s business affairs. Months of investigations have not turned up any compelling evidence of wrongdoing by the elder Biden.
Hunter Biden has been the subject of a lengthy investigation, and it had been anticipated that he would reach a plea agreement with the prosecution over the summer that would involve his admission of guilt to misdemeanor charges of failing to file his taxes on time. However, that agreement fell through during a court hearing in July, and he was recently charged on federal guns charges. He is charged with fabricating his drug use in order to purchase and briefly possess a pistol in October 2018.
Republicans who were looking into almost every facet of his business operations have criticized the plea arrangement that saved him jail time as a “sweetheart deal.”
Biden’s defense lawyers have said they intend to contest the allegations, and the case may be headed for a potentially high-stakes trial.
A new civil action filed in Washington claims that illegal disclosures included claims of liabilities, deductions, and specific tax years under examination.
Last month, Weiss finally applied for and was granted special counsel status, which gave him broad authority to look into the matter and present his findings. His prosecutors have said they might bring fresh tax charges in California or Washington.
