Senior Republicans seek probe into alleged IRS whistleblower retaliation.

Senior GOP Members Call for Investigation into Alleged Retaliation Against IRS Whistleblowers

Senior GOP members of Congress have sent a bicameral letter to the Office of Special Counsel, urging an investigation into allegations of retaliation against Internal Revenue Service (IRS) whistleblowers. These whistleblowers had previously raised concerns about interference and misconduct by the Justice Department during the criminal investigation into Hunter Biden.

Chairman Jason Smith (R-MO) of the House Ways and Means Committee, James Comer (R-KY) of House Oversight, and Jim Jordan (R-OH) of the House Judiciary Committee, along with Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Ron Johnson (R-WI), joined forces to demand an investigation into the alleged retaliation against the IRS whistleblowers. The letter was addressed to Henry Kerner, the head of the OSC.

OSC Reviewing the Letter

A spokesperson for the Office of Special Counsel confirmed that they have received the letter and are currently reviewing its contents.

The two IRS whistleblowers claim that they faced retaliation after coming forward to Congress with allegations of political interference in the Hunter Biden investigation. Once it was revealed that they were making protected disclosures to Congress, the whistleblowers, supervisory agent Gary Shapley and an unnamed source, were removed from the Hunter Biden investigation. Shapley also alleges that he was denied a promotion due to his protected disclosures.

In late June, the House Ways and Means Committee released the testimony from the two whistleblowers, which detailed significant interference from the Department of Justice (DOJ) in their investigation. They raised concerns about the DOJ blocking U.S. Attorney David Weiss from bringing charges in the district of his choice, denying him special attorney status, and concealing allegations made by a paid FBI informant regarding a foreign bribery scheme involving Hunter Biden and then Vice-President Joe Biden.

“The Department of Justice (DOJ) and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) have reportedly engaged in unlawful whistleblower retaliation against veteran IRS employees,” the members allege in the letter, citing news reports that “indicate that the whistleblower and the investigative team were removed from the Hunter Biden investigation by the IRS at DOJ’s request as retaliation for making protected whistleblower disclosures to Congress.”

The letter from the senior GOP members also accuses the IRS and DOJ of failing to inform IRS employees of their constitutional and statutory rights to make protected disclosures to Congress. This alleged attempt to block employees from making such disclosures occurred in two separate instances.

The first instance involved acting special agent in charge Kareem Carter, who sent an email to the whistleblower stating that no information related to the Hunter Biden investigation could leave the field office without going through the chain of command. The email, however, failed to include the “anti-gag provision” that protects whistleblowers.

The second instance occurred when Deputy IRS Commissioner for Services and Enforcement Doug O’Donnell sent an email to IRS employees expressing concerns about reporting allegations of wrongdoing and misconduct. However, the email also failed to inform employees of their constitutional and statutory rights to make protected disclosures to Congress.

In light of these serious allegations, the members have requested a briefing with Henry Kerner no later than July 19 to discuss the steps taken in response to their demands.

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