A 14-year veteran of the Internal Revenue Service says prosecutors “slow-walked” its investigation into “a high profile, controversial” probe he has supervised — none other than that of first son Hunter Biden’s murky finances, CBS News confirmed.
Whistleblower Gary Shapley spoke out for the first time on Tuesday, sitting down with CBS News chief Jim Axelrod for an exclusive interview.
The way the investigation had been handled, he claimed, was “way outside the norm.”
EXCLUSIVE: In his first interview, CBS News sat down with the IRS agent who is blowing the whistle on what he says was preferential treatment during a federal investigation that CBS has learned is tied to the president’s son, Hunter Biden, for possible tax crimes. pic.twitter.com/CUVjVVNsh2
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) May 24, 2023
“There were multiple steps that were slow-walked — were just completely not done — at the direction of the Department of Justice,” Shapley said. “When I took control of this particular investigation, I immediately saw deviations from the normal process. It was way outside the norm of what I’ve experienced in the past.”
The investigation into Hunter Biden began in Delaware with a Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney and was held over by President Biden “to avoid any appearance of political bias,” CBS News reports.
At the center of the probe are “potential crimes related to outstanding tax debts connected to income earned from a controversial stint as a board member for the Ukrainian energy company Burisma while his father was vice president, and a potential false statement related to a gun purchase,” according to the outlet.
As BizPac Review reported back in December 2020, the investigation into the younger Biden began in 2018, but went “quiet” in the months before the November election so as not to influence its outcome “per Justice Department policy.”
Hunter Biden tax probe went ‘covert’ due to specific DoJ policy not to influence election https://t.co/6bCutnt7ug pic.twitter.com/5LdCTg2lHx
— Conservative News (@BIZPACReview) December 10, 2020
In May 2022, it was revealed that Hollywood attorney Kevin Morris coughed up more than $2 million to pay Hunter’s delinquent taxes.
And, in October 2022, FBI whistleblowers claimed the bureau was in possession of a “significant, impactful, and voluminous” amount of evidence that points to “potential criminal conduct” by President Biden’s son.
Whistleblowers claim FBI has ‘voluminous evidence’ of ‘potential criminal conduct’ by Hunter Biden https://t.co/mQWg4NLQZM
— American Wire News (@americanwire_) October 17, 2022
It was enough, they said, to warrant criminal tax charges, but, as CBS News notes, “No such charges have been brought as of this publication.”
According to Shapley, the measures taken to shield Hunter Biden, who remained unnamed by him in the interview, took a heavy toll on his “conscience.”
“Each and every time, it seemed to always benefit the subject,” Shapley said. “It just got to that point where that switch was turned on. And I just couldn’t silence my conscience anymore.”
Reports CBS News:
Shapley is a supervisory special agent with the IRS’s criminal investigations department, currently overseeing a team of 12 agents who specialize in international tax and financial crimes. Previously, he was an officer with the National Security Agency’s Office of the Inspector General. He was assigned to a “sensitive” investigation in January 2020, and within months, he said he grew concerned about how the Justice Department was handling the investigation. CBS News has learned that was the Hunter Biden probe. Shapley says he began documenting his concerns around June 2020.
“For a couple years, we’d been noticing these deviations in the investigative process,” Shapley said. “And I just couldn’t, you know, fathom that DOJ might be acting unethically on this.”
On Twitter, it wasn’t Shapley’s comments that shocked folks, it was that CBS News covered the story.
“Uh oh…CBS fixing to get roasted by their leftist viewers for exploring a truth,” predicted one user. “They’re not going to like this.”
Uh oh…CBS fixing to get roasted by their leftist viewers for exploring a truth. They’re not going to like this.
— Dawgs Back (@Dawgsback2) May 25, 2023
I’m surprised you guys are reporting this.
— Throttle_This (@Throttle_This) May 25, 2023
CBS is doing real news again? I, for one, will give them a chance.
— Damian Ranger (@DamianRanger1) May 25, 2023
DONATE TO BIZPAC REVIEW
Please help us! If you are fed up with letting radical big tech execs, phony fact-checkers, tyrannical liberals and a lying mainstream media have unprecedented power over your news please consider making a donation to BPR to help us fight them. Now is the time. Truth has never been more critical!
- New nonprofit counters ‘Abolish ICE’ movement: ‘Our borders are wide open, and the entire world knows it’ - June 5, 2023
- Dem mayor in South Florida arrested on 3 counts of felony voter fraud, facing 15 years behind bars - June 5, 2023
- CDC study admits COVID boosters not very durable, but claims ‘little remaining protection’ for opt-outs - June 5, 2023
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.