Treasury promotes IRS whistleblowers who probed Hunter Biden

The Treasury Department named a pair of Internal Revenue Service agents as special advisors to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and plans key roles for them in reforming the tax agency after they complained of mistreatment under the Biden administration while investigating Hunter Biden's taxes.

Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler, who were both special agents with the IRS's Criminal Investigation division, testified in 2023 before the House Oversight Committee that then-President Joe Biden's son Hunter received preferential treatment during a tax-evasion investigation, and they had been removed from the investigation after complaining to their supervisors in 2022.

Hunter Biden agreed to a plea deal in 2023 on both tax and firearms charges with prosecutors, but the plea deal fell apart when it was questioned by a judge and special counsel David Weiss, who had initially agreed to the deal. Hunter Biden was later convicted in 2024 of the firearms charges, which related to lying about his drug use on an application for a handgun, and he again pleaded guilty to not paying at least $1.4 million in taxes. He was pardoned by his father shortly before the president left office in January. 

The two whistleblowers had accused prosecutors and IRS CI officials of not pushing for felony charges, allowing the statute of limitations to expire on some of the tax charges, and retaliating by removing them from the investigation. Their cause has been championed by Republicans in Congress, including Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley of Iowa, who sent a letter last month to Bessent commending Shapley and Ziegler's "bravery, courage, expertise and integrity" and asking the Treasury secretary to place the two men in leadership positions. The promotion is a result of Grassley's direct request.

"As I noted in my letter to Secretary Bessent last month, if we reinstate whistleblowers who have been retaliated against, it will send a clear signal that pointing out wrongdoing is an honorable thing to do," Grassley said in a statement Tuesday. "It will help change the culture of our bureaucracy. I'm very grateful to Secretary Bessent for supporting Gary and Joe, and I have no doubt they will be a boon to the Treasury Department in their new roles. Gary Shapley and Joe Ziegler put their entire careers on the line to stand up for the truth, and instead of being thanked, the Biden administration treated them like skunks at a picnic. Far too many whistleblowers share a similar experience of retaliation. I hope today is the first of many redemption stories for whistleblowers who've been mistreated. By taking a stand for whistleblowers, President Trump and his cabinet are ushering in a new era of transparency and accountability."

Bessent hailed their promotion to positions of influence in the Trump administration. "I am pleased to welcome Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler to the Treasury Department, where they will help us drive much-needed cultural reform within the IRS," Bessent said in a statement. "These veteran civil servants join us to help further the agency's focus on collections, modernization, and customer service, so we can deliver a more effective and efficient IRS experience for hardworking American taxpayers. I appreciate Senator Grassley's efforts in Congress to support whistleblower protections in order to improve transparency, accountability and root out the culture of retaliation."

Shapley and Ziegler are expected to transition to senior IRS leadership after their stint at the Treasury Department, according to the New York Post. They have reportedly named six IRS officials whom they claim retaliated against them and asked for the officials to be disciplined in an official complaint filed with the federal Merit Systems Protection Board. In February, a federal whistleblower protection agency known as the Office of Special Counsel found the IRS had wrongly retaliated against the two men. That same month, Trump fired the head of that agency, Hampton Dellinger, prompting a short-lived court battle before he agreed to drop his appeal of the ouster.

"We are enormously grateful to Secretary Bessent, Senator Grassley, and all of the members of Congress for their leadership and trust," Shapley and Ziegler said in a joint statement. "We have been motivated by one singular mantra: do what's right, and do it the right way. It has not been easy, but having a clear conscience is worth the effort. We appreciate the opportunity Secretary Bessent is giving us to put our experience and firsthand knowledge to good use for the American people to eliminate waste and reform the IRS."