IRS Supervisory Special Agent Gary Shapley, a leak in the Hunter Biden tax investigation, is facing severe repercussions after exposing alleged misconduct at the organization. After making a public statement about his fears, Shapeley, who gained widespread attention after an appointment with investigative journalist Catherine Herridge, claims to be under extreme pressure to accept a dismissal or to step down.
National Review reports on the latest innovations, shared by Shapley’s lawyer, Tristan Leavitt, reveal that the IRS had evidently been withholding a punitive choice until after Herridge’s meeting went viral. The IRS sent SSA Shapley a notice less than an hour after @C__ Herridge posted this story about the IRS’s retaliation against the whistleblowers, Leavitt tweeted, noting that the agency appeared to have delayed this decision by at least two weeks.
A punishment was actually announced by the IRS on October 15 when Shapley was informed of a planned reassignment. He would then be promoted from his supervisory special broker position in the legal division to a senior analyst position. Shapley had the opportunity to downgrade or, if he so desired, to obtain a lower-level special agent position, or to completely leave the organization.
In response to the reported retribution, Shapley’s attorney sent a formal letter to Congress on Thursday. Rep. Jason Smith (R-Mo. ), Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio ), and Rep. James Comer (R-Ky. ), Rep. Jason Smith (R-Mo. ). The letter from Leavitt highlights a history of disciplinary treatment that Shapley claims to have experienced since he first made his findings public.
” From the moment USA Weiss received admittance to SSA Shapley’s secured journalist statements and approached IRS command, the IRS has treated SSA Shapley differently”, Leavitt wrote in the email. Additionally, he added that” the unlawful punishment increased after SSA Shapley made it abundantly clear he intended to blow the whistle to Congress and people.” And it continues to this day because the IRS is aware that SSA Shapley may become subject to retaliation just by waiting until the time has passed for him to be forced to resign or face a demotion.
The U. S. Office of Special Counsel ( OSC ) is currently investigating the allegations of retaliation, not only against Shapley but also against another IRS whistleblower, Joseph Ziegler, who had similarly come forward regarding the Hunter Biden case. Leavitt has urged congressional Republicans to request a report on the status of the OSC’s 17-month analysis and has asked for an intervention from the OSC to stop what he calls an alleged circumstance of retaliation.
