Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, has filed a lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) regarding disclosures made by two IRS agents to Congress and the media regarding his taxes. The lawsuit alleges that IRS criminal investigative agents Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler unlawfully revealed details of Biden’s taxes when they publicly expressed concerns about the handling of the criminal investigation into him. It also accuses the IRS of failing to prevent the disclosure of Biden’s financial information by these agents.
The lawsuit, filed in D.C. federal court, claims that Biden has suffered significant harm to his reputation and emotional well-being due to the wrongful conduct of the IRS agents. It points to various media interviews with the IRS whistleblowers and their lawyers, including appearances on CBS News, CNN, Fox News, and a podcast interview with journalist John Solomon, where it alleges that Shapley, Ziegler, and their legal representatives disclosed Biden’s private tax information, violating his privacy rights.
The lawsuit seeks $1,000 for each unauthorized disclosure as well as punitive damages. It also requests a federal judge to order the IRS to establish a data security plan in compliance with the Privacy Act.
In addition to the lawsuit, Hunter Biden’s defense lawyer, Abbe Lowell, sent a letter to the Republican chair of the House Committee on Ways and Means stating that in 2018, the year under federal investigation, Hunter Biden had overpaid his taxes. The letter argues that the IRS owes Hunter Biden a refund for that year, as he had inadvertently paid more than he owed.
Tristan Leavitt, president of the watchdog group Empower Oversight, which represents Shapley, dismissed the lawsuit as a smear and an attempt to divert attention from Hunter Biden’s legal issues. He argued that Shapley had a right to discuss public information released by Congress through whistleblower disclosures authorized by statute.
Hunter Biden’s lawsuit is part of his increasingly assertive legal stance, coinciding with his indictment on gun charges. He recently filed a lawsuit against a former Trump White House official over the distribution of purported contents from his laptop and accused Republican lawmakers of pressuring the Justice Department into bringing gun charges against him.
COMMENTS