The mystery of Whistleblower X was revealed Wednesday as Joseph Ziegler, who has worked with the IRS since 2010 and claims Hunter Biden received preferential treatment in an investigation into his financial dealings.
At the same time, a pre-recorded interview with Ziegler was released in which he said that any time the IRS tried to look into President Joe Biden, he was told ‘we can’t ask those questions.’
Before his appearance, the name plaque was placed on the witness table next to Mr. Ziegler’s exposed whistleblower and spot for IRS Supervisory Special Agent Gary Shapley.
In his testimony to the Oversight Committee on Wednesday, Ziegler identified himself as a ‘gay Democrat married to a man’ and confirmed that his coming forward was not politically motivated.
He said he compared the ‘experience’ of being a whistleblower to the ‘feelings I faced when I was out’.
‘It was honestly one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to go through, a sobering scenario, so it would have been very sad,’ he said.
IRS criminal investigator Joseph Ziegler (pictured) showed his face for the first time Wednesday after blowing the whistle on preferential treatment in the Hunter Biden case — and previously identified only as Whistleblower X
Ziegler (right) was joined by fellow IRS whistleblower Gary Shapley (left) to present their testimony about how they were prevented from carrying out their normal process while investigating Hunter Biden.
Ziegler worked in the International Tax and Financial Crimes Division and was lead agent in the Hunter Biden investigation. He says he admits he is ‘risking my career’ by coming forward and says he has been called a ‘traitor to the Democratic Party’.
Oversight Chairman James Comer, R-Ky. Said: ‘I know it wasn’t easy watching their testimony about the DOJ-FBI investigation confirm that there is nothing normal about the Biden family.’
Blacksmith Ways and Means Chairman Rep. Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mod., invited Hunter to speak at the top of the hearing and share what his panel learned in its investigation of Biden’s tax record.
“The president only believes in paying taxpayers their fair share if they don’t share his last name,” Smith claimed. ‘These two courageous whistleblowers gave damning testimony to my committee that the government is not treating all taxpayers equally at the DOJ and that the IRS has given preferential treatment to the president’s son.’
The Republican lawmaker insisted: ‘Americans should not have to accept two levels of judgment – one if your last name is Biden and one for everyone else.’
Ways and means are mandated to ensure that all taxpayers are treated fairly by the IRS, especially the wealthy, well-connected and influential US taxpayers.
Smith accused President Joe Biden and his allies of a ‘vicious smear campaign’ against the two whistleblowers – although it is now known that one of the whistleblowers is a Democrat.
The congressman said taking action is a dangerous game that will discourage other whistleblowers from coming forward to expose wrongdoing by the federal government in the future.
‘It’s a disgrace,’ said the Missouri representative. ‘Any IRS employee I see today, if you know of misconduct, talk to the Ways and Means Committee so we can hold those responsible accountable.’
Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (left) invited Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith (right) to his hearing Wednesday to present what he found in his investigation into whether the IRS is treating all Americans fairly.
Two IRS whistleblowers are sharing publicly with the House Oversight Panel on Wednesday how they were prevented from conducting a fair investigation into Hunter Biden’s shady business accounts.
Before Wednesday, Ziegler was identified by the panel only as a ‘criminal investigator’ and referred to as ‘Whistleblower X’.
Zilger insisted in his opening statement that he just “wants the American people to know the truth” about Hunter Biden’s special treatment.
Although Shapley has already gone public to make his claims against the Bidens, Ziegler remained anonymous as whistleblower X until he revealed his name and face for the first time on Capitol Hill on Wednesday afternoon.
Oversight chairman Comer Biden described the findings of thousands of pages of family financial records as ‘shocking’.
‘What were the Bidens selling? Biden is nothing more than influence and access to networks. It’s an influence-peddling scheme to enrich the Bidens,’ Comer said. ‘We need to know if Joe Biden is compromised by these schemes and if our national security is threatened.’
Ziegler said that he was ‘no more credible than this person sitting next to me because of my sexual orientation or my political beliefs’, when people began to claim that he was more credible because he was a gay Democrat.
‘The American people deserve to know the truth, no matter how uncomfortable or inconvenient it may be for political parties or people in power.’
Shapley and Ziegler claim that Hunter, 53, was given special treatment because of his father.
The Oversight investigation is investigating whether Hunter Biden received preferential treatment in the investigation of his wrongdoing because of his father’s position. Kamer insisted: ‘We need to know if Joe Biden is compromised by these plans and if our national security is threatened’
One whistleblower testifying is IRS Supervisory Special Agent Gary Shapley (pictured), while the other, identified only as ‘Whistleblower X’, will be revealed for the first time at the hearing.
New revelations detailed this week that an FBI lawyer investigating Hunter told an agent to avoid the Oversight Committee’s questions about the first son.
The agent, whose name was redacted, received the letter from FBI counsel Jason Jones on Sunday — the day they were scheduled to testify before the Oversight Committee.
Jones told the agent to tell Oversight to ‘refer such questions to the FBI’s Office of Congressional Affairs instead.’
‘The Department expects you to decline to answer questions seeking non-public information covered by one or more elements of executive privilege or other important privacy interests, particularly information about discussions of law enforcement matters or ongoing investigative activities,’ the lawyer added.
“The agent’s testimony is sickening and reveals the lengths to which DOJ is willing to go to cover for the Bidens,” the Oversight Committee tweeted on Monday.
FBI counsel Jason Jones sent a letter Sunday to an agent — whose name has been redacted — hours before they were to testify before the committee to avoid questions about the first son.
Shapley will reiterate in his opening remarks to the committee on Wednesday that his claim that the handling of the Hunter Biden investigation was unusual and tainted with special treatment.
‘I’m here to tell you that the prosecution of the Delaware USAO (US Attorney’s Office) and Hunter Biden tax investigation was very different from any other case in my 14 years at the IRS,’ Shapley will say.
Additionally, the FBI agent running the Oversight Committee investigation told Republicans that Joe Biden’s presidential transition team was briefed the night before Hunter’s interview with investigators.
‘This was not originally planned by career agents, which frustrated their investigative efforts as people found out who they didn’t need to know,’ the committee said.
Democrats quickly dismissed the agent’s claims — and said it was normal for the FBI and DOJ to disagree about how to proceed with the investigation.
The Oversight and Accountability Committee is looking into the conduct of the investigation into President Biden, his son Hunter and the rest of the Biden family.
Republicans have long claimed that the Bidens are corrupt and insist that the president was complicit or at least aware that his son and other family members were using his position for their financial gain and business prosperity.
Hunter Biden’s shady foreign business deals are at the center of the GOP investigation into Biden.
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