Hunter Biden Drops Lawsuit Against IRS Whistleblowers

I don't know who these people are in the crowd.

Hunter Biden has quietly abandoned his legal battle against IRS whistleblowers who exposed details about his tax affairs, filing a voluntary dismissal with prejudice that permanently ends his lawsuit against agents Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler.

Key Takeaways

Hunter Biden has voluntarily dismissed his lawsuit against IRS whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler with prejudice, preventing him from refiling the case in the future.
The lawsuit had claimed the agents improperly disclosed confidential tax information to damage Biden’s reputation.
Whistleblowers Shapley and Ziegler characterized the lawsuit as an intimidation tactic and stated its dismissal vindicates their actions.
Hunter Biden previously pleaded guilty to nine federal tax charges in September 2024, admitting he failed to pay $1.4 million in taxes from 2016-2019.
Former President Joe Biden issued a blanket pardon to Hunter in December 2024 for any crimes or potential criminal activity dating back to 2014.

Legal Retreat Signals End to Battle Against Whistleblowers

Hunter Biden has abruptly dropped his lawsuit against two IRS agents who publicly revealed information about his tax matters. The son of former President Biden filed the voluntary dismissal with prejudice in U.S. District Court in Washington, DC, ending his legal pursuit against whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler. The dismissal came shortly after Biden’s attorneys had filed a motion to withdraw from representing him in the case, though no specific reason was provided for abandoning the suit.

The lawsuit, initiated in September 2023, accused the IRS agents of improperly disclosing Biden’s confidential tax information to embarrass him publicly. Shapley and Ziegler had raised concerns about preferential treatment in the investigation of Hunter Biden’s tax affairs, first with their superiors at the IRS, then with the Office of Special Counsel, and eventually with Congress. Their testimony before the House Oversight Committee detailed what they described as limitations placed on their investigation of the president’s son.

Hunter Biden abruptly drops lawsuit against IRS — a move the whistleblowers say shows ‘everything you need to know’ https://t.co/RwoK0EPsBr #NYP

— The Report App (@TheReportApp) May 1, 2025

Whistleblowers Claim Vindication

Following the dismissal, Shapley and Ziegler released a joint statement characterizing the lawsuit as an attempt to silence and intimidate them for performing their duties as federal agents. Both men expressed that they had been motivated by doing what they believed was right and fulfilling their obligations to the American public, despite facing what they perceived as retaliation for their whistleblowing activities.

“It’s always been clear that the lawsuit was an attempt to intimidate us. Intimidation and retaliation were never going to work. We truly wanted our day in court to provide the complete story, but it appears Mr. Biden was afraid to actually fight this case in a court of law after all,” stated Shapley and Ziegler. “His voluntary dismissal of the case tells you everything you need to know about who was right and who was wrong.”

Complex Legal History Preceded Dismissal

The lawsuit’s dismissal follows a lengthy saga of tax issues for the younger Biden. In June 2023, Hunter Biden had reached a plea agreement with the Justice Department that would have granted him immunity in exchange for pleading guilty to misdemeanor tax counts. That arrangement collapsed in July 2023 when a federal judge raised concerns about the terms. Subsequently, in September 2024, Biden pleaded guilty to nine federal tax charges, admitting he failed to pay approximately $1.4 million in taxes between 2016 and 2019.

The whistleblowers had alleged the Justice Department deliberately slow-walked and obstructed the investigation into Hunter Biden’s financial affairs. Shapley publicly claimed that the DOJ took actions to delay the investigation, particularly as it approached the 2020 presidential election. President Trump briefly appointed Shapley as acting IRS commissioner after taking office in 2025, before replacing him with a permanent appointee.

“Hunter Biden brought this lawsuit against two honorable federal agents in retaliation for blowing the whistle on the preferential treatment he was given,” stated the lawyers representing the IRS agents, highlighting what they characterized as vindication of their clients’ actions.

Presidential Pardon Shadows Legal Proceedings

In December 2024, during his final weeks in office, then-President Joe Biden issued a controversial blanket pardon to his son for any crimes or potential criminal activity since 2014. This pardon extended to five other Biden family members as well, drawing criticism from political opponents who characterized it as an abuse of presidential pardon power. The pardon effectively neutralized any ongoing federal investigations into Hunter Biden’s business dealings.

Despite the pardon, Hunter Biden initially continued pursuing his lawsuit against the IRS whistleblowers until this recent dismissal. Legal experts note that the dismissal with prejudice means Biden cannot refile the case in the future based on the same claims, bringing a definitive end to this particular legal battle while other questions about transparency and accountability in high-profile investigations remain unresolved.