Fox News reported that two Internal Revenue Service (IRS) agents who exposed alleged political interference in the Hunter Biden tax investigation have filed a $20 million defamation lawsuit against the president's son's attorney.

The lawsuit, filed on September 14, 2024, accuses Abbe Lowell of retaliating against the whistleblowers for their efforts to shed light on the alleged preferential treatment given to Hunter Biden in his tax case.

IRS investigators Gary Shapley and Joe Ziegler claim that Lowell's actions were motivated by "clear malice" and have caused significant harm to their professional and personal reputations. The lawsuit, filed in a Washington, D.C. court, seeks to "vindicate their reputations for the incredible and malicious harm they have suffered," according to the complaint.

Whistleblowers Allege Retaliation and False Accusations

Shapley and Ziegler assert that they acted in accordance with whistleblower statutes when they exposed what they believed to be conflicts of interest and political motivations interfering with the criminal tax investigation of Hunter Biden.

The lawsuit contends that Lowell "falsely and maliciously" accused them of committing crimes, specifically the illegal disclosure of grand jury materials and taxpayer return information.

The whistleblowers maintain that they never publicly discussed any information that was not already in the public domain. They argue that Lowell's allegations have severely damaged their professional and personal reputations.

The complaint cites several instances of alleged defamation, including a letter that Lowell sent to multiple congressional committees on September 14, 2023. In this letter, the whistleblowers claim Lowell falsely accused them of violating grand jury secrecy rules and taxpayer confidentiality statutes.

Details of the Defamation Claims

The lawsuit also references communications released by Biden's legal team to the media on the same day as the congressional letter.

These communications reportedly included an April 21, 2023 letter from another Biden attorney to the Department of Justice Deputy Attorney General's Office, accusing one or both of the whistleblowers of leaking information about the ongoing investigation to the press.

Shapley and Ziegler argue that this accusation is baseless, as Hunter Biden had already publicly disclosed in December 2020 that he was the subject of a criminal tax investigation.

The whistleblowers further allege that Lowell released a letter to Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz, which they claim falsely stated that they had disseminated grand jury and taxpayer information through multiple nationally televised interviews.

According to the complaint, Lowell's letter to Horowitz described these alleged actions as a "clear-cut" crime unprotected by any whistleblower statute or other federal law. Shapley and Ziegler are each seeking at least $10 million in damages from Lowell.

Background on the Hunter Biden Investigation

Shapley, who led the IRS' portion of the Biden probe, and Ziegler, a 13-year special agent within the IRS' Criminal Investigation Division, have previously alleged political influence surrounding prosecutorial decisions throughout the investigation, which began in 2018.

Their efforts led to the collapse of a plea deal between Hunter Biden and Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss last year.

Shapley has stated that decisions "at every stage" of the probe "had the effect of benefiting the subject of the investigation." Ziegler also claimed that Hunter Biden "should have been charged with a tax felony, not only the tax misdemeanor charge."

On September 14, 2024, Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to nine tax charges as part of an "open plea" without negotiating a deal with prosecutors. The charges, brought by Special Counsel David Weiss, include three felonies and six misdemeanors concerning $1.4 million in owed taxes that have since been paid.

Conclusion

The lawsuit filed by Shapley and Ziegler against Abbe Lowell marks a significant development in the ongoing Hunter Biden tax investigation saga. The IRS whistleblowers allege that Lowell's actions were defamatory and retaliatory, causing substantial harm to their reputations.

They are seeking $20 million in damages for what they claim to be false accusations of criminal conduct. This legal action comes in the wake of Hunter Biden's recent guilty plea to multiple tax charges, highlighting the complex and contentious nature of the case.