In a development in the ongoing scrutiny of Hunter Biden’s financial affairs, the former president’s son voluntarily dismissed his civil lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on Wednesday.
This move is being hailed as a victory for IRS agents Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler, who previously alleged significant obstruction by the Biden administration in their investigation into Hunter Biden’s taxes and business dealings.
Shapley and Ziegler, who came forward as whistleblowers in 2023, claimed that the Department of Justice (DOJ) was deliberately hindering the probe into the former president’s son’s finances and his interactions with overseas entities. In response, Hunter Biden filed a lawsuit against the IRS in September 2023, arguing that the agents had unlawfully disclosed his tax information with the intent to cause him embarrassment.
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Following the dismissal, Shapley and Ziegler released a statement on X expressing their satisfaction. “It’s always been clear that the lawsuit was an attempt to intimidate us. However, we were always motivated by doing the right thing, defending our work, and honoring our duty to the American people. Intimidation and retaliation were never going to work,” they stated. “We truly wanted our day in court to provide the complete story, but it appears Mr. Biden was afraid to actually fight this case in a court of law after all. His voluntary dismissal of the case tells you everything you need to know about who was right and who was wrong.”
Attorneys for Shapley and Ziegler confirmed that Hunter Biden’s dismissal was “with prejudice,” meaning he is barred from filing the same lawsuit again in the future.
This development comes after a series of legal challenges for Hunter Biden. In September 2024, he pleaded guilty to felony tax charges in federal court. Prior to that, in June 2024, he was convicted on felony gun charges.
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Both Shapley and Ziegler have maintained that they faced retaliation for raising concerns about what they described as the weaponization of government to protect a politically connected individual.
Notably, former President Joe Biden issued a blanket pardon to his son, Hunter, covering any past or potential criminal activity dating back to 2014. This is the same year Hunter Biden began his controversial work for Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company. In the final hours of his presidency in January, the former president also issued similarly broad pardons to five other family members.
The dismissal of the civil lawsuit marks the latest chapter in the ongoing saga surrounding Hunter Biden’s legal troubles and the allegations of political interference in the investigations into his conduct.
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