Congressional testimony from two IRS whistleblowers has ignited controversy, alleging interference by the Department of Justice, FBI, and IRS in the Hunter Biden tax investigation, codenamed "Sportsman." The whistleblowers claim that decisions throughout the investigation seemed politically motivated and benefited Biden. Gary Shapley Jr., the IRS supervisor of the investigation, testified that these decisions impacted every stage of the probe.

Originally an offshoot of an IRS investigation into a foreign-based online pornography platform, the Hunter Biden investigation began in November 2018. The connection between the platform and Biden remains unclear. Previously, it was thought the investigation stemmed from suspicious foreign transactions.

In October 2019, the FBI learned of a laptop allegedly belonging to Hunter Biden at a repair shop, potentially containing evidence of a crime. The FBI confirmed the laptop's authenticity through Biden's Apple iCloud ID in November 2019 and informed the IRS of potential tax crime evidence upon seizing the device in December 2019. The laptop's repair shop owner, John Paul Mac Isaac, was subpoenaed to testify in December 2019.

The FBI's laptop receipt revealed a case ID linked to money laundering classifications. This is notable given that some Biden allies had previously dismissed the laptop as Russian disinformation. Shapley's testimony confirms the FBI's verification of its authenticity.

These revelations emerged days after the Justice Department announced Hunter Biden's plea deal, involving guilty pleas to two misdemeanor tax charges and a pretrial diversion agreement for a firearm possession charge. The DOJ maintains that U.S. Attorney David Weiss has full authority over the case.