The anonymous IRS criminal investigator once involved in an investigation of Hunter Biden and known only as “whistleblower X” was revealed to the Washington Examiner as IRS Special Agent Joe Ziegler, who has been with the agency since 2010.
Ziegler and veteran IRS Supervisory Special Agent Gary Shapley appeared for a public hearing of the House Oversight Committee to discuss the alleged politicization of the investigation into Hunter Biden. Ziegler’s testimony was released ahead of the hearing, offering some details about his work at the IRS.
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The now-revealed whistleblower, whose identity was confirmed to the Washington Examiner by a committee spokesperson, plans to say that he made the decision to come forward after “multiple attempts at blowing the whistle internally” at the IRS.
“In coming forward, I am risking my career, my reputation, and my casework outside of this investigation,” Ziegler will say.
Ziegler plans to shoot down any assumptions that he is a more reliable source because he is a “gay Democrat married to a man.
“I’m no more credible than this man sitting next to me due to my sexual orientation or my political beliefs,” Ziegler plans to say. “I was raised and have always strived to do what is right.
“I have heard from some that I am a traitor to the Democratic Party and that I am causing more division in our society. I implore you, that if you were put in my position with the facts as I have stated them, that you would be doing the exact same thing — regardless of your political party affiliation.”
Ziegler will say he hopes he serves as an example to the LGBT community “who are questioning doing the right thing at a potential cost to themselves and others.”
According to his testimony provided beforehand, Ziegler has worked on a “variety” of criminal tax and money laundering investigations. He and Shapley, who served as Ziegler’s supervisor, had both worked for years in coordination with the Department of Justice on the Hunter Biden case before they and the rest of their team were cut from the investigation in May 2023.
Ziegler has also worked as a public information officer for the IRS and as a healthcare fraud coordinator, working on money laundering investigations involving physicians, pharmacists, and medical billing companies.
“I have authored and have been the affiant of seizure warrants having seized millions of dollars worth of criminal proceeds laundered through the purchase of homes, vehicles, jewelry, and the use of bank accounts,” Ziegler will say in his testimony.
In 2017, Ziegler himself was the victim of a crime — three men in Atlanta, Georgia, carjacked Ziegler’s personal car, a BMW, and a white Dodge Charger, which was an IRS government-issued vehicle. Both cars were recovered a short while later.
Ziegler moved to Washington, D.C., in November 2018, where he joined the International Tax and Financial Crimes group. In addition to working on the Hunter Biden investigation, he also served as the lead case agent on an investigation looking into a “global social media company.”
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Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) said the testimony from the two agents will not likely reveal any new information. However, he believes the agents will provide details of how the DOJ “refused to follow evidence that implicated Joe Biden, tipped off Hunter Biden’s attorneys, allowed the clock to run out with respect to certain charges, and put Hunter Biden on the path to a sweetheart plea deal.”
Hunter Biden reached a plea deal with U.S. Attorney David Weiss of Delaware in June, which included two misdemeanor tax charges and a felony gun charge that is expected to be dropped after a probationary period.
Reese Gorman contributed to this report.
