Whistleblowers Drop Bombshell: Demand Intervention in Hunter Biden’s Lawsuit

Mehaniq / shutterstock.com
Mehaniq / shutterstock.com

Late last week, IRS Supervisory Special Agent Gary Shapley and IRS Special Agent Joseph Ziegler decided to crash Hunter Biden’s party by filing a motion to butt into his civil case against the IRS. Not stopping there, they also filed a motion to dismiss Hunter’s lawsuit. Bold move, right? Maybe even the first of its kind. But hey, when you can’t trust the Biden administration’s Department of Justice to play fair, you take matters into your own hands.

In mid-September 2023, after months of Hunter Biden hogging the negative spotlight, his legal team thought it would be a good idea to go on the offensive. So, they filed a two-count civil lawsuit against the IRS. Sure, the IRS is the named defendant, but Hunter’s real beef is with Shapley and Ziegler, accusing them of spilling the beans on his tax returns and other juicy details. Hunter’s lawsuit also claims the IRS failed to keep his records secure and confidential, which is a nice touch to make it look like he’s the victim here.

Hunter’s clever legal minds knew better than to name Shapley and Ziegler directly because, oops, the law doesn’t let you sue individual IRS agents. That saves Shapley and Ziegler the headache of defending themselves and potentially coughing up some cash, but it also means they can’t clear their names directly. Normally, they wouldn’t lose sleep over this since the Department of Justice would step in and handle the accusations of misconduct. But this is Biden’s DOJ we’re talking about, and they’ve been about as effective at defending the whistleblowers as a screen door on a submarine.

Enter Shapley and Ziegler’s legal team, filing a motion to intervene. Federal rules say a third party can step in under certain conditions, and these guys are arguing they have every right to do so. They claim their careers, reputations, and a host of other consequences are on the line. If the DOJ continues to snooze through this case, it could mean big trouble for Shapley and Ziegler, possibly even a criminal investigation.

The whistleblowers aren’t mincing words, either. They argue the IRS and its Tax Division lawyers aren’t doing diddly-squat to represent their interests. According to them, the IRS didn’t even bother raising crucial arguments that could get this whole lawsuit thrown out. So, they’ve taken it upon themselves to present a motion to dismiss that aims to shred Hunter Biden’s lawsuit to pieces.

Of course, neither Hunter Biden nor the IRS is thrilled about Shapley and Ziegler crashing the lawsuit party. So, we can expect a legal tug-of-war with briefs and arguments before the court makes a decision. The whistleblowers’ opening brief is pretty convincing, but given the unusual nature of the case and lack of similar past rulings, who knows what the court will decide?

What’s clear is that the DOJ’s defense of the IRS is about as forceful as a wet noodle. While the DOJ drags its feet and maybe even considers letting discovery happen, Shapley and Ziegler’s legal team has come out swinging with a detailed motion to dismiss. They argue that everything Shapley and Ziegler disclosed was protected by whistleblower provisions, aiming to obliterate Hunter Biden’s claims.

If the court sides with them and tosses Hunter Biden’s lawsuit, it won’t be a good look for the president, especially with the campaign season heating up. It’s no surprise that Biden’s DOJ hasn’t exactly been gunning for that outcome. This is precisely why the court should let Shapley and Ziegler intervene—to make sure the case doesn’t get thrown under the bus for political convenience.