IRS whistlerblowers: Defamation lawsuit against Hunter Biden attorney should continue

IRS whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler say a judge should not dismiss their defamation lawsuit against Hunter Biden attorney Abbe Lowell, despite Biden being pardoned last month by father President Joe Biden on tax charges and separate gun charges.

The lawsuit, filed in September, alleges Lowell defamed Shapley and Ziegler when he publicly claimed they broke the law by disclosing grand jury and tax information to the public regarding criminal allegations against Hunter.

Lowell previously filed a motion asking the court to dismiss the lawsuit, claiming he was expressing his legal opinion in his rebuke of the whistleblowers.

But in the latest court filing, Shapley and Ziegler say the lawsuit should not be dismissed.

"Lowell viciously attacked our integrity and our reputations to try to protect Hunter Biden, who has now admitted his guilt to the crimes we believed were being covered up," they said in a joint statement to The Center Square. "Our opposition to his Motion to Dismiss explains that he apparently became frustrated that the DOJ did not believe his allegations about us, so he took his libelous statements straight to the media."

Shapley and Ziegler, longtime IRS employees, went public with accusations the Justice Department interfered in their investigation into Biden's tax evasion case, for which he eventually pleaded guilty. Biden was accused of failing to file and pay $1.4 million in taxes, filing false information and claiming false and fraudulent business deductions.

"Hunter Biden was found guilty by a jury of his peers and admitted he was guilty of the crimes for which we lawfully blew the whistle," Shapley and Ziegler also told The Center Square. "Now Lowell does not want to face the consequences for his attacks on us. He picked the wrong people to attack. We will continue to do the right thing by protecting ourselves and the whistleblower process for future whistleblowers."

The president's pardon covers any potential crimes dating back to 2014, also covering the years when his son brought in millions of dollars to his business using the Biden family name, according to House investigations.

Shapley and Ziegler's latest filing notes that "they seek no favors. They need no pardon because they never violated the law."