Gary Shapley, the IRS official who went public with concerns about the agency’s handling of investigations into Hunter Biden’s taxes, is expected to be named acting IRS commissioner.
Shapley testified before Congress as part of a Republican-led probe into Hunter Biden’s business affairs and claimed he faced retaliation for cooperating. In March, he was promoted to Deputy Chief of IRS Criminal Investigations. Another IRS investigator who testified, Joseph Ziegler, was moved to a senior adviser role for IRS reform in the Treasury Secretary’s office.
The agency now plans to install Shapley in one of its top positions, replacing acting commissioner Melanie Krause. Krause is stepping down over her disagreements with a deal to share immigrant tax data with Immigration and Customs Enforcement for deportation purposes.
Shapley and Ziegler previously said they were removed from the Hunter Biden case in late 2022 after raising concerns about delays by the Justice Department and then-U.S. Attorney David Weiss in pursuing enforcement actions before the 2020 election.
Shapley’s interim promotion comes as former Missouri congressman Billy Long, nominated by President Trump to lead the IRS permanently, awaits Senate confirmation.
