“IRS Agent Claims Handcuffs Were Placed on Hunter Biden Investigation, Preventing Further Leads”
A former Internal Revenue Service (IRS) agent who handled the majority of the tax evidence in the investigation into Hunter Biden revealed that he felt restricted during the five-year probe, unable to pursue leads that might have implicated President Joe Biden. Special Agent Joseph Ziegler, known as “Agent X,” is the second IRS employee to come forward, asserting that the investigation supported criminal charges more severe than the misdemeanor tax charges that Hunter Biden is expected to plead guilty to next week as part of a plea bargain.
Ziegler, a 13-year veteran of the IRS, testified before a House committee on Wednesday, unveiling his identity at the insistence of lawmakers. As the main IRS case agent, he worked closely with his supervisor Gary Shapley and claims that the evidence they uncovered supported felony and misdemeanor tax charges against Hunter Biden. Ziegler’s investigation spanned both the Trump and Biden administrations.
The revelation by Ziegler has ignited a fierce political debate, with Democrats claiming that the investigation was thorough and dismissing suggestions that Hunter Biden received any favoritism due to his connection to President Joe Biden. Attorney Christopher Clark, representing Hunter Biden, has previously characterized the allegations of inadequate investigation as “preposterous and deeply irresponsible.”
During the closed-door meeting in June, the Ways and Means committee voted to publicly release the transcripts from Shapley and Ziegler’s whistleblower testimony while keeping Ziegler’s identity hidden. Democrats have expressed concerns over the disclosure of tax records of a private citizen and criticized the attorneys representing the whistleblowers, highlighting their connections to Republican Party politics.
Ziegler alleges that the evidence he collected revealed how Hunter Biden improperly claimed business deductions for personal expenses, such as college tuition, luxury hotel stays, payments to escorts, and payments to no-show employees. In 2021, Ziegler drafted a memorandum recommending prosecutors to charge Hunter Biden with multiple felonies and misdemeanors. However, the decision not to pursue those charges was perplexing to Ziegler. He claims that U.S. Attorney for Delaware David Weiss, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump, agreed with certain felony charges but faced resistance from other officials within the Department of Justice who feared the impact of Hunter Biden’s drug addiction and the death of his brother, Beau Biden, on the jury’s opinion.
The final agreement reached charged Hunter Biden with two misdemeanor tax counts and a felony gun charge, with the latter being dismissed if he meets certain conditions. The IRS whistleblowers have expressed confusion and concern over the decision not to charge Hunter Biden with tax felonies and have raised questions about possible interference from the Biden Justice Department. U.S. Attorney Weiss firmly denied any interference, stating that he had “ultimate authority” on the matter.
Ziegler also spoke about the limitations he faced during the investigation, claiming that requests for search warrants and interviews were denied, and there were limitations on asking questions related to the then-president. He cited Attorney General William Barr’s policy requiring personal approval for investigations involving presidents or presidential candidates, stating that he was not aware of any approvals sought from Barr at that time.
The revelations shared by Ziegler have further fueled the ongoing debate surrounding the Hunter Biden investigation and raised concerns about potential political interference. The IRS whistleblowers’ claims will continue to be scrutinized as the legal proceedings against Hunter Biden progress.