{"id":2400421,"date":"2025-02-07T16:04:02","date_gmt":"2025-02-07T21:04:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/federal-whistleblower-protection-agency-confirms-irs-illegally-retaliated-against-agents-in-hunter-biden-case\/"},"modified":"2025-02-07T16:05:47","modified_gmt":"2025-02-07T21:05:47","slug":"federal-whistleblower-protection-agency-confirms-irs-illegally-retaliated-against-agents-in-hunter-biden-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/federal-whistleblower-protection-agency-confirms-irs-illegally-retaliated-against-agents-in-hunter-biden-case\/","title":{"rendered":"Federal Whistleblower Protection Agency Confirms IRS Illegally Retaliated Against Agents in Hunter Biden Case"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/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%2Ffederal-whistleblower-protection-agency-confirms-irs-illegally-retaliated-against-agents-in-hunter-biden-case%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=2400421&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 <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">article discusses allegations<\/a> against the Internal Revenue Service \u2064(IRS) \u200dregarding \u2062its \u2064handling of the Hunter Biden investigation. It reports that the IRS targeted two agents, Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler, for \u200bwhistleblowing after\u2063 they claimed to have been unfairly \u200dremoved from\u200d the case. The Office of Special \u200dCounsel (OSC) confirmed\u2063 that the \u200dIRS issued illegal gag \u200borders\u2064 and retaliated against the agents for\u2062 their disclosures.\u2062 Empower Oversight, a whistleblower advocacy organization, highlighted that their whistleblowing led to the House Ways and Means \u200cCommittee making indictments against Biden for tax and gun-related charges.The article emphasizes concerns \u200dover\u2062 the\u200b protection of whistleblowers in \u2064light of this situation and suggests that the IRS&#8217;s actions could deter future whistleblowers from coming forward. The piece wraps\u2063 up by criticizing the Biden management&#8217;s handling of the \u200ccase and the broader implications for accountability within governmental agencies.  <\/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\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>The Internal Revenue Service has been caught try to cover for Hunter Biden, wrongly targeting two of its own agents instead.<\/p>\n<p>On Thursday, <a href=\"https:\/\/justthenews.com\/accountability\/whistleblowers\/whistleblower-office-finds-illegal-retaliation-against-irs-agents\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Just the News<\/a> posted <a href=\"https:\/\/justthenews.com\/sites\/default\/files\/2025-02\/2025-02-04-TL-to-CEG-IRS-WBs-1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a letter<\/a> from Empower Oversight, a whistleblower center, dated to Tuesday to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/trumps-audacious-gaza-plan-draws-mixed-reaction-republicans-thought-voted-america-first\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Republican<\/a> Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Chuck Grassley.<\/p>\n<p>The letter reported on the findings of the Office of Special Counsel, with which Empower Oversight had filed a complaint on behalf of IRS agent Gary Shapley in May 2023.<\/p>\n<p>The complaint stated Shaley and fellow agent Joseph Ziegler were removed from the Hunter Biden case after whistleblowing, indicating the two had received orders prohibiting them from communicating about wrongdoings and political corruption impeding their investigation.<\/p>\n<p>The OSC confirmed the basis of those complaints.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;OSC confirmed in a December 30, 2024  to counsel for the whistleblowers that it found <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/rules-thee-irs-agents-govt-employees-owe-stunning-1-5-billion-back-taxes-report\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the IRS<\/a> issued illegal gag orders and improperly removed them from the Hunter Biden investigation as reprisal for their protected disclosures,&rdquo; Empower Oversight President Tristan Leavitt wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Not everything Leavitt&rsquo;s organization argued was confirmed by the OSC, such as Shapley not getting a promotion as retaliation.<\/p>\n<p>Leavitt posted to the social media platform X to discuss some issues OSC was unable to find basis for.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">&#128680; Meanwhile, while OSC claimed it was unable to substantiate other retaliation against SSA Shapley, such as the IRS&rsquo;s over-scrutinization of his work and slow-walking his requests, SSA Shapley CAUGHT his supervisor altering the dates of SSA Shapley&rsquo;s communications to slow-walk&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/NLcYL6ywdG\">https:\/\/t.co\/NLcYL6ywdG<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Tristan Leavitt (@tristanleavitt) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/tristanleavitt\/status\/1887232069723439548?\">February 5, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;&hellip;OSC claimed it was unable to substantiate other retaliation against SSA Shapley, such as the IRS&rsquo;s over-scrutinization of his work and slow-walking his requests, SSA Shapley CAUGHT his supervisor altering the dates of SSA Shapley&rsquo;s communications to slow-walk them and make it appear to others in the agency like SSA Shapley was only making last-minute requests,&rdquo; he wrote.<\/p>\n<p>The agents&rsquo; whistleblowing helped the House Ways and Means Committee bring indictments against <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/orange-glow-appears-horizon-north-carolina-biden-admin-blame\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Biden<\/a> for several tax and gun charges.<\/p>\n<p>Simply put, they thought they would be protected, but the OSC confirmed the IRS went after them for their statements.<\/p>\n<p>Leavitt called protections for whistleblowers &ldquo;utterly broken&rdquo; in the letter to Grassley, saying, the agents did &ldquo;everything by the book, consistent with their oaths to uphold the law&rdquo; but still faced retaliation.<\/p>\n<p>Leavitt believes if this is not made right, future would-be whistleblowers will stand down knowing how Shapley and Ziegler were treated by the IRS.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/hunter-bidens-pardon-begins-particular-date-surely-not-chosen-random\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hunter Biden<\/a> case just looks worse in retrospect.<\/p>\n<p>After repeating the lie that Hunter Biden&rsquo;s laptop was &ldquo;Russian disinformation,&rdquo; the former <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ex-trump-aide-paul-manafort-cant-be-prosecuted-in-new-york-following-pardon-court-rules\/\" title=\"Ex-Trump Aide Paul Manafort Can\u2019t Be Prosecuted in New York Following Pardon, Court Rules\">president pardoned<\/a> his son just before leaving office after being on the record that he would not.<\/p>\n<p>President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/another-obama-biden-chinese-spy-federal-reserve-advisor-alleged-literally-selling-america\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Joe Biden<\/a>&lsquo;s legacy of ruin is a long list of inflationary spending, disastrous border policies, DEI hires, and international instability.<\/p>\n<p>His government&rsquo;s desperate attempt to cover for his son&rsquo;s behavior leaves almost nothing salvageable from the past four years.<\/p>\n<p>Leavitt is correct in the precedent set by how the IRS went after their own agents.<\/p>\n<p>Having the courage to stand up to Biden&rsquo;s corruption does not warrant punishment.<\/p>\n<p>Hopefully the new administration can make this right as it looks cure the rot festering from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/former-iran-hostage-remembers-the-weak-jimmy-carter\/\" title=\"Former Iran Hostage Remembers The Weak Jimmy Carter\">46th president&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s time in office.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ]; 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( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<style> \t\t\t \t\t\t.insticator-unit.type-commenting{margin: 0 10px 25px 10px}@media screen and (max-width:1060px){#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{margin: 0 auto 25px auto !important;}}#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{height: 280px !important; width: 336px !important} \t\t<\/style>\n<div class=\"insticator-unit type-commenting\">\n<div class=\"insticator-ads\"> \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t<script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> \t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"insticator-ads additional\"> \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t<script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> \t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Internal Revenue Service has been exposed for attempting to shield Hunter Biden by improperly targeting two of its own agents. On Thursday, Just the News shared a letter from Empower Oversight, a whistleblower organization, addressed to Republican Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Chuck Grassley. This letter detailed findings from the Office of Special Counsel (OSC), which Empower Oversight had approached on behalf of IRS agent Gary Shapley in May 2023. The complaint alleged that Shapley and fellow agent Joseph Ziegler were removed from the Hunter Biden investigation after blowing the whistle, claiming they received orders that restricted their communication regarding misconduct and political corruption affecting their inquiry. The OSC confirmed these allegations.<\/p>\n<p>Empower Oversight President Tristan Leavitt stated that OSC found the IRS issued illegal gag orders and retaliated against them by removing them from the case due to their protected disclosures. However, not all claims made by Leavitt&#8217;s organization were substantiated by OSC, such as Shapley&#8217;s lack of promotion as retaliation.<\/p>\n<p>Leavitt took to social media to address issues where OSC could not find sufficient evidence for retaliation against SSA Shapley, including excessive scrutiny of his work and delays in processing his requests. He noted that SSA Shapley caught his supervisor manipulating dates on his communications to create an impression that he was making last-minute requests.<\/p>\n<p>The whistleblowing efforts by these agents contributed to indictments against Biden related to tax and gun charges. They believed they would be protected but faced repercussions instead; Leavitt criticized whistleblower protections as &#8220;utterly broken,&#8221; emphasizing that both agents acted according to their legal obligations yet still encountered retaliation.<\/p>\n<p>Leavitt warned that if this situation is not rectified, potential future whistleblowers may hesitate due to how Shapley and Ziegler were treated by the IRS. The handling of the Hunter Biden case appears increasingly problematic over time.<\/p>\n<p>After falsely claiming Hunter Biden&#8217;s laptop was &#8220;Russian disinformation,&#8221; former President Trump pardoned his son just before leaving office despite previously stating he wouldn&#8217;t do so. President Joe Biden\u2019s administration has been marked by inflationary spending, poor border policies, DEI hires, and global instability\u2014his government&#8217;s attempts at covering up for his son&#8217;s actions have left little redeemable from recent years.<\/p>\n<p>Leavitt is right about setting a concerning precedent with how the IRS treated its own agents; standing up against corruption should not lead to punishment. There is hope for corrective action under a new administration aimed at addressing issues stemming from President Biden&#8217;s tenure<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2400422,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Hunter-Biden.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[38348,36155,50034,50033,50032],"class_list":["post-2400421","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-federal-investigation","tag-government-accountability","tag-hunter-biden-case","tag-irs-retaliation","tag-whistleblower-protection"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Hunter-Biden.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2400421","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\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2400421"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2400421\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2400425,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2400421\/revisions\/2400425"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2400422"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2400421"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2400421"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2400421"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}