Hunter Biden's Bold Move: Filing Lawsuit Against IRS Over Unauthorized Tax Information Release

Hunter Biden filed a lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on Monday, claiming that the agency violated the law by disclosing his tax information and failing to safeguard his private records.

In his legal action, President Joe Biden's son accuses the IRS of unlawfully revealing his tax return details and neglecting to establish adequate measures for maintaining the confidentiality of his records. His demands include the production of all documents associated with the unauthorized disclosure of his tax information, compensation of $1,000 for each instance of unauthorized disclosure, and reimbursement of attorney fees.

The lawsuit, filed in a federal court in Washington, DC, does not include the two IRS agents turned whistleblowers as defendants. However, it focuses on the revelations made by Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler, along with their attorneys, in public statements, congressional testimony, and interviews. This lawsuit emerges amidst a multitude of legal troubles Hunter Biden is confronting. Recently, he was indicted on three felony gun charges by special counsel David Weiss and may potentially face additional tax charges from Weiss.

The lawsuit states that despite being prohibited by Congress from disclosing their testimony to the public in any other forum, Mr. Shapley and Mr. Zieglers' testimony has only served to strengthen their media campaign against Mr. Biden. Furthermore, since their public testimony before the House of Representatives on July 19, 2023, the agents have regularly appeared on national media outlets, making new allegations and public statements about Mr. Biden's confidential tax return information, which were not previously mentioned in their transcripts before the Committee on Ways and Means. CNN has reached out to Empower Oversight, the organization assisting the whistleblowers, as well as Shapley's lawyer and the IRS for comment.

"The lawsuit alleges that IRS employees, along with their representatives and others, deliberately and systematically breached their obligations by publicly disclosing and sharing Mr. Biden's confidential tax return information, disregarding the legal exceptions that allow for such disclosures."

Hunter Biden, son of U.S. President Joe Biden, participates in the annual Easter Egg Roll held on the South Lawn of the White House on April 10, 2023 in Washington, DC. This longstanding tradition originated in 1878 when President Rutherford B. Hayes invited children to the White House for Easter festivities, including egg rolling on the lawn. (Photo credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

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The suit argues that these agents, despite claiming to be whistleblowers, cannot use their status to protect themselves from the unauthorized disclosure of information that is not allowed by the whistleblower process. It asserts that whistleblowers are meant to expose government wrongdoing, rather than divulging personal opinions about the alleged misconduct of private individuals.

According to the lawsuit, Shapley and Ziegler not only acknowledged the existence of the investigation into Hunter Biden's taxes but also made specific accusations regarding the deductions claimed and tax liabilities owed for certain tax years.

Tensions have escalated during the investigation. Shapley's legal representatives released a statement on Friday accusing Hunter Biden's lawyers of attempting to induce the Justice Department to take action against their clients for revealing information protected under whistleblower regulations.

In a statement issued on Friday, Shapley's attorney emphasized, "Congress, through the enactment of taxpayer privacy laws, vested itself with the power to consider disclosures concerning taxpayer information."

Earlier this year, the IRS agents made their allegations regarding the Justice Department's handling of the investigation into Hunter Biden public. In June, the Justice Department disclosed that Hunter Biden would plead guilty to two tax misdemeanors for not paying his taxes on time in 2017 and 2018. Additionally, he had initially reached an agreement to evade prosecution for a gun possession charge, but it unraveled when a federal judge probed its structure.

After the judge refused to approve the deal, negotiations between Weiss office and Hunter Biden's attorneys fell apart. Weiss requested special counsel status.

This story has been revised to include more information.