US President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, has filed a lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), claiming that his tax returns were illegally disclosed by whistleblowers working for it, Reuters reported.
The lawsuit, filed in District Court for the District of Columbia, focuses on statements made by IRS officials Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler in media interviews amid a years-long investigation by U.S. House Republicans into the taxes and business dealings of Biden Jr.
Fifty-three-year-old Hunter Biden is at the center of a political maelstrom as Republican congressmen pursue an impeachment inquiry against his father focused on alleged ties between his business dealings and the politics of Joe Biden when he was vice president from 2009 to 2017. So far, they have produced no evidence to show that Joe Biden benefited from his son’s business.
The White House denies any wrongdoing.
Hunter Biden is the first child of a sitting US president to face criminal charges. Last week, prosecutors charged him with three counts of lying about his illegal drug use when he bought a firearm. Hunter and prosecutors had previously reached a deal for him to plead guilty to tax and illegal gun charges, but that fell through.
The new lawsuit alleges “more than 20 nationally broadcast television interviews without congressional approval and numerous public statements” by Shapley, Ziegler and their lawyers for Hunter Biden. Shapley and Ziegler testified before the US Congress about alleged political interference in the Internal Revenue Service’s investigation into Biden’s taxes. The Justice Department has denied any such involvement.
Hunter Biden is seeking $1,000 for each unauthorized disclosure of information about his tax returns, along with a declaration and security plan from the office, requiring access to his tax-related documents and other relief.
