An IRS whistleblower who has accused the Justice Department of thwarting the Hunter Biden probe spoke with congressional investigators for seven hours on Friday but clammed up when reporters tried to speak to him after he was done, CNN’s Alayna Treene reports.
Gary Shapely’s closed-door meeting with the House Ways and Means Committee on Friday follows a report from The Independent the previous day that the 14-year IRS veteran had broken off communication with the Senate Finance Committee, which also has oversight over the IRS.
“Shapely & his attorney Tristan Leavitt refused to answer a series of CNN's questions regarding his interview & the allegations he has made to Congress,” Treene tweeted.
CNN’s reporting suggests that Shapely really didn’t want to talk to reporters after Friday’s meeting.
“Following his interview, Shapely and Leavitt took a freight elevator and used the back entrance of the O’Neill House Office Building to avoid media cameras set up outside," the report says.
“He repeatedly told @CNN ‘no comment’ when asked about his interview & his allegations.”
Shapely revealed his identity Thursday in an interview with CBS News.
“When I took control of this particular investigation, I immediately saw deviations from the normal process. It was way outside the norm of what I’ve experienced in the past,” he told the outlet.
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Staffers from both sides of the aisle have met with an attorney who represents the whistleblower, Mark Lytle, a source told The Independent.
“Democratic and Republican Finance Committee staff previously met for several hours with counsel representing an IRS whistleblower, and counsel were made aware of the committee’s investigative procedures. Committee staff on both sides agreed with counsel to meet directly with the whistleblower next week, however the whistleblower has since backed out of that agreement and declined an attempt to reschedule,” the source said.
