Trump Admin Defends IRS Whistleblowers Penalized in Hunter Biden Inquiry

President Donald Trump’s administration just sent a clear message to Washington bureaucrats and political operatives: whistleblowers who tell the truth won’t be silenced they’ll be rewarded.

Two IRS whistleblowers, Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler, who faced retaliation after exposing Hunter Biden’s $8.3 million tax evasion scheme, have now been promoted to Senior Advisors within the U.S. Treasury Department. Their mission? To help overhaul the toxic, politically weaponized culture that took root at the IRS during the Biden administration.

In a press release Tuesday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent made it clear “I am pleased to welcome Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler to the Treasury Department, where they will help us drive much-needed cultural reform within the IRS… I appreciate Senator Grassley’s efforts in Congress to support whistleblower protections in order to improve transparency, accountability and root out the culture of retaliation.”

These promotions come after Shapley and Ziegler endured a targeted campaign to discredit and punish them for blowing the whistle on the sweetheart treatment Hunter Biden received under the Biden DOJ. Their testimonies, given in 2022, revealed deliberate slow-walking of the investigation, lack of prosecutorial action, and blatant political interference.

In fact, rather than being recognized for exposing corruption, they were hit with a lawsuit by Hunter Biden’s attorneys, accusing them of improperly sharing confidential tax information a transparent attempt to smear their reputations and discourage future whistleblowers from stepping forward.

Shapley’s legal team dismissed the suit as exactly what it was “Just another frivolous smear by Biden family attorneys trying to turn people’s attention away from Hunter Biden’s own legal problems and intimidate any current and future whistleblowers.”

For too long under Democratic leadership, federal agencies like the IRS have been weaponized to serve political ends protecting elites like the Bidens while cracking down on regular Americans. Shapley and Ziegler’s promotions signal a shift back toward accountability, transparency, and the kind of IRS that works for the people, not against them.

Their new roles will focus on improving collections, modernization, and customer service a far cry from the retaliatory culture they experienced under the Biden administration.

If there’s one thing Trump’s second term is making clear, it’s that the days of shielding corruption and punishing patriots are over.

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