Republicans said Monday they are investigating the Justice Department’s Office of Special Counsel on allegations of retaliation against IRS whistleblowers for their disclosures regarding first son Hunter Biden.
The whistleblowers made protected disclosures last year alleging prosecutorial misconduct in the department’s investigation into Biden. The GOP formalized the probe in a letter Monday to the special counsel’s office that was signed by House Speaker Mike Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, and Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, Just the News reported.
They claim the office, a self-proclaimed “independent” federal investigative agency tasked with protecting whistleblowers, did not publicly correct the record when Special Counsel David Weiss implied in a court filing that whistleblowers – Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler – were under investigation for their disclosures to Congress.
Although the investigation was nonexistent, the OSC did not issue a public correction to stop the media speculation that harmed Shapley and Ziegler’s reputation. Instead, the OSC is investigating retaliation claims against the whistleblowers, but its decision to keep the investigation sealed led to unnecessary and negative speculation, Republicans say.
“IRS whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler have been wholly consistent in their testimony about misconduct and politicization in the Department of Justice’s criminal investigation of Hunter Biden,” the Republican leaders said in a press release.
“They did exactly what an honorable government employee should do: when they witnessed wrongdoing, they reported it responsibly and made legally protected disclosures. Because of their bravery and integrity, we are finally beginning to see steps toward accountability,” the letter added.
The lawmakers also asked the agency to provide answers about its failure to correct the record and ensure there has been no improper influence on the OSC investigation into the retaliation claims by the whistleblowers.