The IRS whistleblowers who were central to the criminal investigation of Hunter Biden are being promoted into leadership positions in the Treasury Department.
“I went and decided I would bring them into Treasury, give them a year to investigate the wrongdoing that’s going on at the IRS, and then they will go back in,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a Fox News interview. “We’ll have them in Treasury, we’ll learn what’s been going on at the IRS, what’s been wrong, how could this Hunter Biden nonsense have happened. And we’re going to make sure it doesn’t happen to anyone again.”
.@SecScottBessent on promoting the IRS whistleblowers: “The culture of being able to come forward when you see wrongdoing is a central part of our democracy… seeing them in person really brought it home for me. I went and decided I would bring them into Treasury, give them a… pic.twitter.com/RDGwHj4lA0
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 18, 2025
The two IRS employees, Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler, worked on a tax evasion case regarding former President Joe Biden’s son, providing testimony to a House committee alleging misconduct at the IRS and FBI that gave Hunter Biden preferential treatment.
The pair also spoke up after the former president pardoned his son late last year, calling it a “sad day for law-abiding taxpayers.”
Now, they will be taking high-profile gigs in the Trump administration.
“The culture of being able to come forward when you see wrongdoing is a central part of our democracy,” Bessent said.
Shapley will serve as the senior deputy for investigations and enforcement, while Ziegler will also assume a leadership role.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), who had been investigating the Biden family since 2019, pushed for the promotions and released a statement celebrating the news.
“Gary Shapley and Joe Ziegler put their entire careers on the line to stand up for the truth, and instead of being thanked, the Biden administration treated them like skunks at a picnic,” Grassley said. “Far too many whistleblowers share a similar experience of retaliation. I hope today is the first of many redemption stories for whistleblowers who’ve been mistreated.”
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Shapley and Ziegler released their own statement thanking Bessent and Grassley.
“We have been motivated by one singular mantra: do what’s right, and do it the right way,” the pair said. “It has not been easy, but having a clear conscience is worth the effort.”
