The Treasury Department is elevating two Internal Revenue Service agents who claim that the investigation into Hunter Biden’s taxes was soft-peddled, an unusual promotion that will empower officials embroiled in a high-profile political battle with Democrats.
Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler, two veteran I.R.S. agents, brought their concerns about the tax case against Hunter Biden to House Republicans, who turned the two men into key witnesses in their unsuccessful attempt to impeach former President Joseph R. Biden Jr.
The I.R.S. officials accused the Justice Department of holding back on the Hunter Biden case, an allegation that prosecutors have denied. Mr. Shapley and Mr. Ziegler have also said that the I.R.S. retaliated against them for airing their concerns about Hunter Biden’s tax case, including by taking them off the investigation.
Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to nine federal tax charges last year. The former president later pardoned his son.
It was unclear exactly what positions Mr. Shapley and Mr. Ziegler will play within Treasury. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement announcing them as senior advisers that the two men will “drive much-needed cultural reform within the I.R.S.”
“These veteran civil servants join us to help further the agency’s focus on collections, modernization, and customer service, so we can deliver a more effective and efficient I.R.S. experience for hardworking American taxpayers,” Mr. Bessent said.
The Trump administration has been undertaking an aggressive overhaul of the I.R.S., pushing to dramatically slash its staff and instead rely on automated technology to run the agency.
Many top leaders at the typically apolitical agency have left or been demoted under President Trump, who has nominated Billy Long, a former Republican congressman with little background in taxes, to run the I.R.S.
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