An IRS whistleblower involved in the Hunter Biden tax probe has revealed that federal investigators knew the laptop was authentic and contained reliable evidence as early as December 2019. This revelation contradicts claims made by former intelligence officials and even President Biden himself, who dismissed the laptop as Russian disinformation nearly a year later.
The House Ways and Means Committee recently released testimony from two IRS whistleblowers alleging interference from the DOJ, FBI, and IRS in the Hunter Biden tax evasion investigation. One whistleblower, Gary Shapley Jr., testified that decisions throughout the probe seemed politically motivated and benefited the subject of the investigation.
Shapley revealed that the investigation, codenamed "Sportsman," began in November 2018 as an offshoot of a separate IRS investigation into a foreign-based online pornography platform. The connection between the platform and Hunter Biden remains unclear. Previously, it was believed the investigation stemmed from suspicious foreign transactions.
In October 2019, the FBI learned of a laptop allegedly belonging to Hunter Biden that potentially held evidence of a crime. The FBI confirmed the laptop's authenticity the following month by matching its device number with Hunter Biden's Apple iCloud ID. By December 2019, the FBI informed the IRS that the laptop likely contained evidence of tax crimes. The laptop's owner, John Paul Mac Isaac, was subpoenaed to testify before a Delaware court that same month.
The FBI's property receipt for the laptop included a case ID classified as "272D"—a code related to money laundering and white-collar crime. Despite the FBI's verification, many Biden allies continued to push the narrative of Russian disinformation.
Shapley testified that he and other investigators were prevented from accessing the laptop, a decision he described as unprecedented. He also claimed that Assistant U.S. Attorney Lesley Wolf worked to limit questioning related to Joe Biden. The extent to which the laptop's contents were reviewed remains unknown. Wolf, however, acknowledged that there was no reason to suspect data manipulation by a third party and that the information had been corroborated with other sources.
Weeks before the 2020 election, despite the FBI’s confirmation of authenticity, over 50 former national security officials signed a letter suggesting the laptop was part of a Russian disinformation campaign. This letter was later used by then-candidate Joe Biden during a presidential debate.
Former CIA Deputy Director Michael Morell admitted to orchestrating the letter with the Biden campaign, specifically implicating then-campaign advisor and current Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Morell rushed the letter's release, seeking approval from the CIA’s Prepublication Classification Review Board just days before it was made public.
These revelations come as Hunter Biden agreed to plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax charges and enter a pretrial diversion agreement for a firearm charge. The Justice Department maintains that U.S. Attorney David Weiss has full authority over the matter.
