House Republicans are investigating potential improper influence surrounding the claims made by IRS whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler regarding the Hunter Biden investigation. The lawmakers have penned a letter to the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) seeking a briefing to determine if there has been any misconduct in handling the whistleblowers' claims.
Shapley and Ziegler have alleged political influence in the Department of Justice's criminal investigation of Hunter Biden, stating that decisions throughout the probe favored Biden. Ziegler also claimed that federal investigators hindered the investigation process, including blocking certain questioning and interviews.
The House Republican leaders are concerned about potential retaliation against the whistleblowers and are investigating whether the OSC has contributed to such actions. Shapley and Ziegler have whistleblower retaliation claims pending before the OSC, with Shapley making protected disclosures about prosecutorial misconduct in the Biden investigation.
Last month, Shapley and Ziegler sought an inspector general investigation into then-U.S. Attorney David Weiss, accusing him of misleading information. Empower Oversight, representing the whistleblowers, alleged that Weiss retaliated against Shapley for objecting to handling the Hunter Biden probe and misled the public about an investigation into the whistleblowers.
The OSC confirmed receiving the letter from House Republicans but declined to comment. Meanwhile, Weiss indicted Hunter Biden on federal gun charges and tax crimes, with the tax trial set to begin in September. President Biden's nomination of special counsel Hampton Dellinger raised concerns due to his past work with Hunter Biden, leading Dellinger to recuse himself from the whistleblowers' investigation.
