Republican lawmakers James Comer and Jim Jordan are spearheading an initiative to halt disciplinary procedures against two government employees who, they say, blew the whistle on the "politization and misconduct in the federal criminal investigation of Hunter Biden" regarding tax-related crimes.
The people in question are IRS Supervisory Special Agent Gary Shapley and Special Agent Joseph Ziegler, whose "lawfully protected disclosures to Congress have resulted in unrelenting personal and professional attacks by the IRS."
"Just this week, Gary Shapley's attorney revealed that approximately one hour after his and Mr. Ziegler's interview with journalist Catherine Herridge was released, in which they discussed damaging evidence of the IRS's disparate treatment of U.S. taxpayers, the IRS issued Shapley a 15-day notice to either accept a demotion or resign," the GOP Oversight Committee, chaired by Rep. Comer, said in a publication on X.
🚨 BREAKING: Comer, Jordan, Smith Demand Immediate Action in Wake of the IRS’s Latest Action Against Whistleblowers Gary Shapley & Joseph Ziegler
— Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) November 1, 2024
It took bravery and courage for IRS Supervisory Special Agent Gary Shapley and Special Agent Joseph Ziegler to blow the whistle on… pic.twitter.com/Hdg4qE9Vpg
The letter was making reference to an interview in which Shapley said the "IRS just has a smothering blanket over me." "They're hoping that I quit, that they find some way to terminate me. Or they probably hope I commit suicide or something."
Ziegler and Shapley claimed this week that they were banned from investigating President Joe Biden as part of the probe into his son Hunter. The former said prosecutors specifically told IRS investigators "that they didn't want to ask about the big guy, because they knew it was Joe Biden." "There were a lot of overt investigative steps that we were not allowed to take because we had an upcoming election," he added.
As a result, Comer, Jordan and Rep. Jason Smith called the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) to provide an update on their claims and halt disciplinary proceedings against them. The letter, addressed at Acting Principal Deputy Special Counsel Karen Gorman, claims the officials revealed how "the IRS treats individuals differently based upon their last names."
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