{"id":2226965,"date":"2024-04-22T08:53:02","date_gmt":"2024-04-22T12:53:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/is-bidens-irs-meddling-in-the-ig-investigation-of-hunter-biden-whistleblowers\/"},"modified":"2024-04-22T09:01:29","modified_gmt":"2024-04-22T13:01:29","slug":"is-bidens-irs-meddling-in-the-ig-investigation-of-hunter-biden-whistleblowers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/is-bidens-irs-meddling-in-the-ig-investigation-of-hunter-biden-whistleblowers\/","title":{"rendered":"Is the IRS interfering with the IG investigation of Hunter Biden whistleblowers under Biden&#8217;s administration?"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fis-bidens-irs-meddling-in-the-ig-investigation-of-hunter-biden-whistleblowers%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2226965&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The summary \u2063of the text reveals Senator Chuck Grassley&#8217;s \u2062push for the IRS to disclose information regarding the investigation \u200bof Hunter Biden whistleblowers. Despite the IRS\u200b commissioner&#8217;s denial of an investigation, recent court documents suggest otherwise, raising concerns about the IRS&#8217;s\u2064 involvement with\u2062 the whistleblowers&#8217; case. The summary \u2063highlights Senator Chuck \u2064Grassley&#8217;s efforts to compel the IRS to provide details \u2062on the investigation of \u200bHunter Biden \u200dwhistleblowers. Despite the \u2062IRS \u2062commissioner&#8217;s denial, court\u200c records indicate a\u200d different scenario, sparking apprehension over the IRS&#8217;s role in the whistleblowers&#8217; \u200dsituation.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-content\">\n<p>\u201cThe IRS needs to get into gear immediately and provide answers about the scope and status of the alleged investigatory process\u201d into the Hunter Biden whistleblowers, Sen. Chuck Grassley told The Federalist. Grassley\u2019s comment comes after he received a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/document\/725475085\/Werfel-letter-to-Grassley\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">letter<\/a> from the Internal Revenue Service commissioner stating that the IRS is not investigating the whistleblowers and that any investigation would be handled by the inspector general\u2019s office to ensure independence. <\/p>\n<p>The IRS commissioner\u2019s claim is far from comforting, however, given that a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-orders-l-a-to-offer-housing-to-homeless-population-on-skid-row-says-city-and-county-created-a-legacy-of-entrenched-structural-racism\/\" title=\"Judge Orders L.A. To Offer Housing To Homeless Population On Skid Row, Says City And County \u2018Created A Legacy Of Entrenched Structural Racism\u2019\">recent court filing<\/a> indicates the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/group-led-by-longtime-trump-attorney-argues-impeachment-trial-unconstitutional\/\" title=\"Group Led by Longtime Trump Attorney Argues Impeachment Trial Unconstitutional\">chief counsel<\/a> office of the IRS is kept apprised of the IG\u2019s apparent probe of the whistleblowers.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2-long d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-196617505\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1379703300879-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-f8febc17bf4338f92d5f6d8cb41bf5c2 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-f8febc17bf4338f92d5f6d8cb41bf5c2\"><\/div>\n<p>Last month, Special Counsel David Weiss responded to a motion Hunter Biden filed seeking dismissal of the criminal tax charges pending against the president\u2019s son in California. In his motion, Hunter argued the IRS\u2019s supposed \u201coutrageous conduct\u201d violated his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/group-our-vote-matters-is-suing-facebook-dominion-mark-zuckerberg-certain-state-officials-others-for-infringing-upon-right-to-vote-assemble-and-speak-freely-you-can-jo\/\" title=\"Group \u201cOur Vote Matters\u201d Is Suing Facebook, Dominion, Mark Zuckerberg, Certain State Officials, Others for Infringing Upon Right to Vote, Assemble and Speak Freely \u2013 You Can Join Too\">due process rights<\/a> and justified dismissal of the indictment. That \u201coutrageous conduct,\u201d according to Hunter\u2019s motion, consisted of the government \u201cnot taking action to curtail the misconduct or prevent the unauthorized disclosure of confidential grand jury and taxpayer return information,\u201d by IRS agents Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler. <\/p>\n<p>In response, the special counsel attached a declaration, filed under seal, that Weiss said shows \u201cthe IRS has taken responsible steps to address Shapley and Ziegler\u2019s conduct.\u201d The government\u2019s accompanying motion to seal the exhibits strongly suggested Shapley and Ziegler were under investigation. Specifically, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/roger-stone-announces-he-will-sue-those-who-arrested-him-and-put-him-in-front-of-a-kangaroo-court\/\" title=\"Roger Stone Announces He Will Sue Those Who Arrested Him and Put Him In Front of a Kangaroo Court\">special counsel\u2019<\/a>s office said:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>The justification for the redaction and the sealed exhibits is that the redacted information contained in the filing and the sealed exhibits relates to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-grassley-demands-doj-irs-come-clean-about-targeting-hunter-biden-whistleblowers\/\" title=\"Exclusive: Grassley Calls on DOJ and IRS to Disclose Details on Targeting Whistleblowers Related to Hunter Biden\">potential ongoing investigation<\/a>(s) and the investigating agency(cies) specifically requested that the government request that the court seal the exhibits, as well as any accompanying reference in the pleading, in order to protect the integrity of the potential ongoing investigation(s).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Significantly, the special counsel clarified that \u201cthe aforementioned potential ongoing investigations are not references to any investigation of the defendant conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice.\u201d In other words, the potential ongoing investigations did not concern Hunter Biden. The clear import from these filings, then, was that either one or both Shapley and Ziegler were under investigation.<\/p>\n<p>But the IRS is not investigating the whistleblowers, according to an April 12, 2024, letter IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel sent to Grassley. Nor, to his knowledge, was the DOJ investigating Shapley and Ziegler. Any such investigation, Werfel maintained in the letter, a copy of which The Federalist obtained, would be handled instead by the Treasury inspector general for tax administration (TIGTA). And only after TIGTA completed its \u201cindependent\u201d review would the IRS act on TIGTA\u2019s recommendation, Werfel told Grassley.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-18d5391900c683de9a4efc297bc75886 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-18d5391900c683de9a4efc297bc75886\"><\/div>\n<p>Werfel\u2019s response raises a huge question mark, however, when read in conjunction with the declaration Senior Assistant Special Counsel Derek Hines submitted in the Hunter Biden case in arguing for the sealing of the exhibits. According to Hines, \u201cThe government was advised by the Office of IRS Chief Counsel that the investigating entity referenced in each of Exhibits 2, 4, and 5 agreed that the documents could be provided to the government and used in a filing with the court provided that the government asked the court to seal these exhibits and certain references to those exhibits in order to protect the integrity of the potential ongoing investigation(s).\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But the IRS <a href=\"https:\/\/www.irs.gov\/about-irs\/office-of-chief-counsel-at-a-glance\">Office<\/a> of Chief Counsel represents the IRS, which Commissioner Werfel maintains is not investigating the whistleblowers. And TIGTA, which Werfel suggested would handle any investigation into the types of allegations leveled against Shapley and Ziegler, has its own <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tigta.gov\/oig-offices\">chief counsel<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>For the IRS chief counsel to communicate with Special Counsel Weiss about a potential ongoing investigation into the whistleblowers is particularly concerning for a couple of reasons. First, in noting that any investigation into Shapley and Ziegler\u2019s conduct would have been referred to TIGTA as \u201cis the IRS\u2019s standard practice,\u201d Werfel stressed that \u201c[t]his places the decision on whether to pursue an investigation, not with the IRS, but with an independent and separate authority.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>According to Werfel:<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-4e1a22beef4bcfacd915dfed2da124d5 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-4e1a22beef4bcfacd915dfed2da124d5\"><\/div>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>The IRS then awaits any appropriate guidance or recommendations from TIGTA and acts, as warranted, with the benefit of TIGTA\u2019s fact-finding and analysis. This approach is consistent with a longstanding Department of Treasury directive, and it ensures that the relevant questions are independently reviewed, in a manner that is protective of our mission, complies with all legal obligations, and safeguards the rights of the relevant employees and of any impacted taxpayers.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Why then was the IRS, through its chief counsel\u2019s office, speaking with both the \u201cinvestigating entity,\u201d presumably TIGTA, and the special counsel\u2019s office, about the \u201cpotentially ongoing investigation\u201d?<\/p>\n<p>When asked why the IRS Office of Chief Counsel would be communicating with Weiss about any potential ongoing investigation, as opposed to TIGTA\u2019s chief counsel, the IRS told The Federalist that its \u201ccontacts with the Justice Department were to defend against allegations being made by the defendant.\u201d The IRS added that it \u201cmade these appropriate contacts after consulting with the independent authorities.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But if the purpose of a referral to TIGTA was to ensure an independent review of the allegations and to safeguard the rights of the IRS employees, involving the IRS Office of Chief Counsel\u2019s office is problematic \u2014 particularly so because the IRS\u2019s chief counsel is a Biden appointee who was recently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.federaltimes.com\/management\/leadership\/2024\/02\/29\/rollinson-becomes-first-female-chief-legal-counsel-at-irs\/\">confirmed<\/a> in a party-line vote.<\/p>\n<p>Also concerning was Werfel\u2019s refusal to acknowledge that Shapley and Ziegler are whistleblowers, even as the IRS commissioner stressed that he \u201cwholeheartedly agree[s] with [Grassley\u2019s] sentiment that we must be supportive of whistleblowers.\u201d Yet, in his letter to the Iowa senator, Werfel referred to Shapley and Ziegler as \u201ctwo special agents employed by IRS Criminal Investigation \u2026 [who] claimed whistleblower status and submitted information to Congress concerning a particular taxpayer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In response to Werfel\u2019s letter, Grassley told The Federalist that \u201c[w]histleblowers are some of the greatest patriots I know and, as Commissioner Werfel himself noted to me during a Senate Finance Committee hearing this week, they provide very valuable information to the IRS.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWerfel should practice what he preaches,\u201d the Iowa senator added. \u201cIt\u2019s not enough to sing whistleblowers\u2019 praises before a camera at a congressional hearing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When it comes to the Hunter Biden whistleblowers, Shapley and Ziegler would likely be content if the IRS and DOJ just stopped trying to <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/04\/08\/exclusive-grassley-demands-doj-irs-come-clean-about-targeting-hunter-biden-whistleblowers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">dirty them up<\/a>, as Weiss\u2019s recent court filing attempted.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-fa7a68e7200706851beabd074d1b1321 fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-fa7a68e7200706851beabd074d1b1321\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">    \t\t\t\t\t   \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Senator Chuck Grassley urged the IRS to promptly reveal details on the alleged investigation regarding Hunter Biden whistleblowers. Grassley&#8217;s statement follows a letter from the IRS commissioner clarifying that the IRS is not currently probing the whistleblowers<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":499,"featured_media":2226966,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Screenshot-2024-04-22-at-6.41.14%E2%80%AFAM.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2226965","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Screenshot-2024-04-22-at-6.41.14%E2%80%AFAM.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2226965","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/499"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2226965"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2226965\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2226966"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2226965"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2226965"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2226965"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}