The Bidens have escaped justice for too long. But now everything is shaken up.
Because Hunter Biden made a sudden legal move that put Republicans on notice.
Hunter Biden Backs Down from IRS Lawsuit
Hunter Biden has abruptly abandoned his high-profile lawsuit against the IRS, which accused whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler of unlawfully exposing his private taxpayer information. The move comes as a significant retreat for Biden, whose legal battles have drawn intense scrutiny amid allegations of tax violations and questionable foreign business dealings.
Biden initiated the lawsuit after Shapley and Ziegler publicly criticized IRS and Department of Justice officials for allegedly stalling investigations into his financial activities. The whistleblowers, undeterred by Biden’s legal maneuver, stood firm.
“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,” Shapley and Ziegler said in a statement.
They added, “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.”
Whistleblowers Triumph as Biden’s Claims Crumble
Shapley and Ziegler, represented by a formidable team of seven attorneys with expertise in federal prosecutions and congressional matters, were poised to intervene as defendants in the lawsuit to robustly counter Biden’s accusations. Their legal team celebrated the dismissal as a clear victory.
“Today, in the midst of Gary Shapley’s and Joe Ziegler’s efforts to intervene in this litigation and in exchange for nothing at all, Hunter Biden dismissed his case with prejudice—meaning he can never bring it again,” the whistleblowers’ legal team stated. “Shapley and Ziegler did nothing wrong, never had to seek a pardon, and the legality of their actions have now been entirely vindicated in a federal court of law once again.”
The lawsuit’s collapse marks another blow to Biden’s aggressive legal campaign, which has included a now-dropped suit against former Trump staffer Garrett Ziegler over a database of Biden’s laptop contents.
Biden cited financial struggles in court filings, noting that his book and art sales have plummeted since late 2023, a period that aligns with intensified House GOP investigations and his prosecution on gun and tax charges by special counsel David Weiss.
Broader Implications: Biden Family Scrutiny Intensifies
The dismissed IRS lawsuit was a key component of Hunter Biden’s efforts to deflect accountability amid revelations from the House GOP’s impeachment inquiry into his father, then-President Joe Biden.
The inquiry uncovered over $27 million in payments from foreign sources to Hunter Biden and his associates during and after his father’s vice presidency, alongside numerous interactions between Joe Biden and his son’s business partners. Shapley and Ziegler’s disclosures, backed by extensive documentation provided to the House Ways and Means Committee, were central to these findings.
The whistleblowers faced significant backlash for their courage, with an independent watchdog confirming they endured unlawful retaliation from the IRS after coming forward in spring 2023. Despite this, their credibility has been bolstered, with the Trump administration appointing them to senior advisory roles at the Treasury Department in March. Shapley briefly served as acting IRS Commissioner last month before a dispute led to his removal.
Meanwhile, President Trump has taken decisive actions, stripping Hunter Biden of his Secret Service detail and granting clemency to Biden’s former business partners, Devon Archer and Jason Galanis, who testified during the impeachment probe.
Joe Biden, in his final days as president, issued pardons for his son—convicted on gun charges in June and pleading guilty to tax charges in September—as well as other family members, shielding them from potential Trump administration actions. Hunter Biden’s decision to drop the IRS lawsuit signals a retreat, leaving the whistleblowers’ allegations unchallenged and their vindication resounding.
