Washington: Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, has filed a lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), accusing the agency of violating his privacy rights by disclosing his confidential tax information. The lawsuit claims that the IRS did not implement adequate measures to safeguard his records and that two IRS agents acted illegally by revealing details of his tax returns to Congress and the media.
The lawsuit names the IRS as the defendant but focuses on the actions of two IRS agents, Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler, who have been outspoken about their concerns regarding the management of the investigation into Hunter Biden’s taxes. According to the lawsuit, Shapley and Ziegler went beyond confirming the existence of the investigation and provided specific information about Hunter Biden’s tax returns, such as the amounts and nature of deductions, liabilities, and allegations for certain tax years. The lawsuit alleges that this information could only be obtained from reviewing the physical tax returns themselves.
The lawsuit also criticizes the public statements and interviews made by Shapley and Ziegler after they testified before the House of Representatives on July 19, 2023. The lawsuit argues that these statements and interviews were unauthorized public disclosures that were not allowed by the whistleblower process. The lawsuit states that a true whistleblower should aim to expose government misconduct, not the personal details of a private individual.
The lawsuit asserts that Shapley and Ziegler intended to “target and embarrass” Hunter Biden and that they disregarded his rights as a taxpayer. The lawsuit emphasizes that Hunter Biden has the same rights and responsibilities as any other American citizen, regardless of his relation to the president.
In response to these allegations, Shapley’s lawyer has claimed that his client’s disclosures were protected under the whistleblower statutes.
The lawsuit comes amid other legal challenges faced by Hunter Biden, including a recent indictment on felony gun charges. The legal battle between Hunter Biden and the IRS agents, especially Shapley and Ziegler, is expected to continue, attracting significant attention both in the legal and media spheres.
