During the recent IRS whistleblower testimony before Congress concerning the Hunter Biden probe, Democratic representatives faced criticism for their responses. Instead of offering substantive counterarguments to the testimony of whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler, some Democrats reportedly resorted to emotional appeals and attacks directed at former President Donald Trump, even invoking George Floyd. Critics argued that this strategy highlighted a lack of effective rebuttal to the whistleblowers' claims.
Several Democratic representatives, including Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL), mentioned Trump during their speaking time, seemingly attempting to shift focus away from the hearing's subject matter. Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-MD) expressed gratitude to Republicans for “almost distracting us from the biggest investigation that is going on right now… involving the former president.”
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) dismissed the GOP’s presentation as “a lot of allegations, zero proof, no receipts,” following the introduction of explicit photos of Hunter Biden as exhibits. This action further fueled the debate surrounding the hearing's focus and the relevance of the presented evidence.
Commentators on the Fox News program “The Five” criticized the Democrats' approach. Co-host Kennedy argued that the Democrats' line of questioning revealed an inability to effectively challenge the whistleblowers’ statements and those made by House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer. She expressed concern that this dismissal could set a precedent for future investigations, stating, “All that means is Republicans can dismiss anything they want when it is a Republican child of a president who is accused.”
Co-host Jesse Watters pointed out that whistleblower Joseph Ziegler, previously known as “Mr. X,” uncovered information related to Hunter Biden while investigating an unrelated international pornography case. Watters explained that Ziegler “stumbled upon Hunter” while investigating the use of corporate bank accounts for escort services, which raised red flags for tax investigators.
During the hearing, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) presented sexually explicit images of Hunter Biden and a United Airlines receipt, alleging that Biden used funds to transport a woman across state lines for illicit purposes, potentially violating the Mann Act. Ziegler’s testimony also revealed that Hunter Biden had claimed a $10,000 deduction for a purported golf club membership that was allegedly a sex club, and categorized payments to prostitutes as business expenses.
Judge Jeanine Pirro, also on “The Five,” highlighted the irony of the Biden administration’s push to increase IRS funding while questions remain about the president’s son’s tax filings. She cited Ziegler's testimony alleging the Bidens received $17 million in foreign funds between 2014 and 2019.
