Catherine Herridge Identifies ‘Serious Flaw’ In Hunter Biden’s Pardon
On Sunday, President Joe Biden issued a broad pardon to his son, Hunter Biden, absolving him of nearly 11 years of potential legal exposure. The pardon, which encompasses felony tax evasion and gun charges, is drawing sharp criticism from legal experts, political observers, and whistleblowers who say it undermines trust in the justice system.
Catherine Herridge, a CBS journalist known for her investigative reporting, highlighted the concerns raised by IRS whistleblowers Joseph Ziegler and Gary Shapley. The two agents, who previously testified before Congress about alleged misconduct in the Justice Department’s handling of the Hunter Biden investigation, described the pardon as an affront to ordinary Americans who face severe penalties for similar offenses.
“No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter’s cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son – and that is wrong,” Joe Biden wrote in his announcement on Sunday. “There has been an effort to break Hunter – who has been five and a half years sober, even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selective prosecution. In trying to break Hunter, they’ve tried to break me – and there’s no reason to believe it will stop here. Enough is enough.”
Ziegler dismissed the White House’s narrative that Biden’s actions stemmed from struggles with addiction, stating that the false filings occurred during a period of claimed sobriety. According to the whistleblowers, Biden used fraudulent deductions for personal expenses, including luxury vehicles and memberships, to avoid paying his fair share.
Hunter Biden Pardon:
The accuracy of the White House statement is questionable, based on our recent reporting with IRS whistleblower and Hunter Biden case agent Joseph Ziegler.
Herridge: What do you think the biggest misconception is about the Hunter Biden case?
ZIEGLER:… pic.twitter.com/Un6p2QpQ95
— Catherine Herridge (@C__Herridge) December 2, 2024
Ziegler previously said in an interview with Herridge, “That he [Hunter] committed this felony tax conduct while he was high on drugs and he was out of his mind and he wasn’t, not true. He actually filed these false tax returns when he admitted in his book that he was newly sober.”
We reported Sunday there is a serious flaw in @potus Hunter Biden pardon statement…
Based on our recent investigation @X
with IRS whistleblowers Shapley + Ziegler.Now via @WSJ
“The American people need to know…Hunter Biden admitted that he filed false tax returns with… pic.twitter.com/4UghjDwdgY
— Catherine Herridge (@C__Herridge) December 3, 2024
Joseph Ziegler and Gary Shapley are veteran agents with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) who gained prominence in 2023 as whistleblowers during the federal investigation into Hunter Biden.
“The American people need to know, and the president’s letter omits, that Hunter Biden admitted to intentional felony tax evasion—criminal charges for which ordinary Americans are held accountable every day,” they wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed on Tuesday. “Hunter Biden admitted that he filed false tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service—knowingly and willfully, while sober. False deductions taken on his tax return contradicted statements he made in his memoir, which he wrote while sober. These false deductions included things like a sex-club membership, luxury vehicle rentals, and house rentals for his then-girlfriend.”
In July 2023, Ziegler publicly testified before the House Oversight Committee, alleging that the investigation into Hunter’s tax affairs was mishandled and that standard investigative procedures were not followed. Shapley was Ziegler’s supervisor during the Hunter investigation. Shapley was the first to come forward with allegations, claiming that the Department of Justice interfered with the investigation, leading to delays and deviations from standard procedures.
