Just days after Hunter Biden was indicted on federal firearms charges, the president's son is pushing back on separate allegations about his taxes with a lawsuit against the IRS. The AP reports that Biden filed his complaint Monday, accusing two whistleblower IRS agents, Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler, of breaching his privacy by sharing details about his tax returns during interviews and in congressional testimony. "Biden has no fewer or lesser rights than any other American citizen, and no government agency or government agent has free reign to violate his rights simply because of who he is," the suit says, claiming the agents "targeted and sought to embarrass" Biden, per Insider.
The complaint goes on to note that the agents and their legal teams "raised the stakes to unprecedented levels" and "[engaged] in a campaign to publicly smear Mr. Biden." The suit notes that the agents violated his privacy "repeatedly and intentionally," per CNBC. In July testimony, Shapley and Ziegler claimed the opposite of Biden's take: that the Justice Department has actually gone easier on Biden because of his status as the president's son, not gone after him more aggressively because of it.
An attorney for Hunter Biden stressed in court on Monday that the filing "is not about the legitimacy of the IRS investigation of Mr. Biden over the past five years or any decision to penalize Mr. Biden for any failure to comply with his obligations under the tax laws." The AP notes that this development "escalates the legal fight as a long-running investigation continues to unfold against a sharply political backdrop, including an impeachment inquiry aimed" at President Biden. The younger Biden is seeking $1,000 per each unauthorized disclosure, as well as attorney's fees. (More Hunter Biden stories.)
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