Attorneys for 2 IRS whistleblowers who knowledgeable Congress concerning the Hunter Biden felony probe are in search of an inspector common investigation into Particular Counsel David Weiss, alleging he “hid and twisted” data – prompting extra angst on Capitol Hill amid inquiries into Biden household conduct and alleged politicization of the Justice Division.
Empower Oversight, the authorized group representing IRS particular brokers Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler, allege that Weiss’ crew – in a March 11 federal court docket submitting – intentionally misled the general public by suggesting an unnamed federal company was investigating the 2 whistleblowers for misconduct. Nonetheless, the obscure reference to the “potential investigation(s)” is a reference to a probe the whistleblowers sought, alleging the Justice Division and IRS had been retaliating towards them for his or her disclosures.
Shapley and Ziegler testified final yr to Congress alleging political concerns led the Justice Division and the Inner Income Service to go smooth on its probe of Hunter Biden’s funds. Now, they’ve taken hearth from each the protection and prosecution, famous Home Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer, R-Ky.
“Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler, the 2 courageous IRS whistleblowers who made legally protected disclosures to Congress about misconduct inside the Justice Division, have been attacked by Hunter Biden’s authorized crew,” Comer informed Fox Information Digital.
“Particular Counsel Weiss has been a part of this smear marketing campaign as he misled the general public that the IRS whistleblowers had been beneath investigation when in reality they weren’t,” Comer continued. “Ever since Particular Counsel Weiss acquired caught making an attempt to provide Hunter Biden a sweetheart plea deal, he’s been making an attempt to cowl his tracks. There have to be accountability for this misconduct.”
Empower Oversight needs two Justice Division companies – the Workplace of Inspector Normal and the Workplace of Skilled Accountability – to research the conduct by Weiss’ workplace.
“David Weiss has been retaliating towards Gary Shapley ever since Shapley objected a yr and a half in the past to letting the statute of limitations lapse on 2014 felony tax prices towards Hunter Biden,” Tristan Leavitt, president of Empower Oversight, informed Fox Information Digital. “Weiss then discovered from inside IRS communications that Shapley had been telling his IRS chain of command about Weiss’ workplace pulling punches within the Hunter Biden probe.”
In a letter this week, representatives for the 2 whistleblowers additionally requested the Workplace of Particular Counsel – an unbiased whistleblower safety company referred to as OSC, to not be confused with Weiss’s workplace – to make clear for the report that the 2 brokers will not be beneath investigation.
“Weiss’ response is precisely why Shapley filed a whistleblower retaliation criticism with OSC within the first place,” Leavitt continued. “DOJ OIG or OPR want to research to see whether or not Weiss’ workplace deliberately misled the general public so as to additional retaliate towards the IRS whistleblowers.”
Reached by Fox Information Digital, Weiss spokesperson Kim Reeves declined to remark for this story.
In 2023, Hunter Biden entered a plea take care of Delaware U.S. Legal professional Weiss’ workplace. Nonetheless, Shapley and Ziegler – who labored on the investigation – offered the Home Methods and Means Committee and the Home Oversight Committee with new details about the case. Shortly thereafter, a federal choose rejected the settlement.
After that, Legal professional Normal Merrick Garland gave Weiss particular counsel standing, permitting him to deliver prices outdoors his jurisdiction. Weiss secured an indictment on a gun cost in Delaware and a tax evasion case in California.
In February, Hunter Biden’s attorneys filed a movement to dismiss the tax case in California, arguing partly that Shapley and Ziegler made disclosures that put political stress on prosecutors.
The March 11 submitting by Weiss’ workplace in federal court docket within the Central District of California was in opposition to the movement to dismiss the case, and tried to rebut that declare concerning the affect of whistleblowers – although in doing so, instructed they had been beneath investigation.
The Weiss response to the movement to dismiss stated Shapley and Ziegler “made unsubstantiated claims that prosecutors’ decision-making on this investigation was contaminated by politics.” It provides the “IRS has taken accountable steps to handle Shapley and Ziegler’s conduct.” It directs the court docket to Exhibit 2, redacted from the general public.
The Weiss crew explains redactions in Exhibit 2 are as a result of, “Right here, the potential investigation(s) might contain allegations of wrongdoing, and the potential investigation(s) may very well be annoyed, not served, if the general public had been allowed entry to those supplies within the midst of the potential investigation(s).”
On Could 14, the advocates for the IRS whistleblowers wrote a letter to the Justice Division Inspector Normal Michael Horowitz and Workplace of Skilled Accountability Counsel Jeffrey Ragsdale.
“Weiss’ workplace hid and twisted the importance of OSC’s investigation into the whistleblowers’ personal allegations that the IRS and Particular Counsel Weiss retaliated towards them,” the letter to DOJ inside watchdog officers says. “Reasonably than acknowledging the reality that OSC is investigating the reprisal towards the whistleblowers, the DOJ submitting falsely instructed to the general public that some unnamed company was investigating the conduct of the whistleblowers themselves.”
The letter was signed by Leavitt, Empower Oversight founder Jason Foster, in addition to attorneys Marke Lytle and Justin Gelfand.
The identical day, the 4 signed a lengthier letter to the OSC performing principal deputy counsel, Karen Gorman. The letter notes the obscure reference to investigations in Exhibit 2 was an OSC probe of the IRS and Justice Division initiated by Shapley and Ziegler. Whereas, the Weiss submitting instructed the investigation is concentrating on Shapley and Ziegler.
The letter to Gorman says the OSC ought to “not permit the Justice Division to mischaracterize your work for the needs of a retaliatory assault on the repute of whistleblowers who’ve executed nothing mistaken.”
An OSC spokesperson acknowledged receipt of the letter to Fox Information Digital, however couldn’t affirm or deny the existence of an open investigation.
The OSC has been beneath scrutiny for different causes loosely associated to the case involving President Biden’s son. The president appointed Hampton Dellinger, a former colleague of Hunter Biden at a regulation agency, to run the company. Dellinger has recused himself from this case.
“Nonetheless, it will be fully improper if the remainder of OSC had been to remain silent because the Biden Justice Division mischaracterizes OSC’s work probing the reprisal towards the IRS whistleblowers within the Hunter Biden case,” the letter to Gorman says. “Accordingly, we respectfully request that you simply appropriate the report as quickly as attainable.”
