Elections
Republican lawmakers request hearings to examine violence against Trump supporters in D.C.
After chaos and violence erupted in Washington D.C. last weekend following the “Million MAGA March,” Republicans on Capitol Hill are demanding hearings to examine the violence against Trump supporters, FoxNews reports.
House Oversight Committee Ranking Member James Comer, Rep. Jody Hice and Rep. Chip Roy wrote a letter to Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney regarding the lack of action taken by the city’s leaders amid the violence last weekend.
“We respectfully request a hearing on the violence directed at supporters of President Trump on November 14, 2020. These supporters were exercising their First Amendment right to peacefully assemble within the District of Columbia,” they wrote to Maloney. “The failure of the city’s leaders to afford basic protections to persons who may hold different political viewpoints from their own appears to be another concerning example of viewpoint discrimination in the District.”
The Republican members wrote a separate letter to D.C. Mayor, Muriel Bowser, requesting information on how her office plans to work with city police to “ensure the safety of those who seek to peacefully exercise First Amendment rights within the District.”
“These brazen attacks are part of a continuing trend against leftist agitators perpetrating acts of violence against individuals in the District under your watch,” they wrote. “The right to peacefully assemble in our nation’s capital under the First Amendment is paramount. This is true regardless of who is doing the protesting or the popularity or unpopularity of their cause.”
The lawmakers criticized Bowser for her “silence” following the violence against Trump supporters. It “suggests you apply these principles only for those who share your same political opinions,” they wrote.
Trump also condemned Bowser on Twitter, claiming she was not “doing her job,” and urged the city’s police force to “get going – do your job and don’t hold back!!”
Elections
IRS Whistleblower Receives Retaliation After Speaking Out on Hunter Biden Tax Case
A whistleblower in the Hunter Biden tax investigation, IRS Supervisory Special Agent Gary Shapley, is facing harsh repercussions from the IRS after revealing alleged misconduct within the agency. Shapley, who gained widespread attention following an interview with investigative journalist Catherine Herridge, claims to be under intense pressure to accept a demotion or resign after publicly disclosing his concerns.
National Review reports on the recent developments, shared by Shapley’s attorney, Tristan Leavitt, reveal that the IRS had apparently been withholding a punitive decision until after Herridge’s interview went viral. “Less than an hour after @C__Herridge posted this story yesterday about the retaliation against the IRS whistleblowers, the IRS sent SSA Shapley this notice telling him he had 15 days to choose whether to be demoted or to resign,” Leavitt tweeted, noting that the agency appeared to have delayed this decision by at least two weeks.
On October 15, the IRS officially informed Shapley of a planned reassignment, notifying him he would be moved from his role as a Supervisory Special Agent in the criminal division to a Senior Analyst position—a demotion. Shapley was given the option to either accept the downgrade or, if he chose not to, request a lower-level special agent role or leave the agency entirely.
In response to the alleged retaliation, Shapley’s attorney sent a formal letter to Congress on Thursday. Addressed to House Oversight Committee chairman James Comer (R-Ky.), House Judiciary Committee chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), and House Ways and Means Committee chairman Jason Smith (R-Mo.), Leavitt’s letter highlights a history of punitive treatment Shapley claims to have faced since he first disclosed his findings.
“From the moment USA Weiss received access to SSA Shapley’s protected whistleblower disclosures and contacted IRS leadership, the IRS has treated SSA Shapley differently,” Leavitt wrote in the letter. He also added that “the illegal reprisal increased after SSA Shapley made clear he intended to blow the whistle to Congress and others. And it continues to this day, when the IRS knows it can retaliate against SSA Shapley simply by waiting out the clock for him to be forced into the position of resigning or being demoted.”
The U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) is currently investigating the allegations of retaliation, not only against Shapley but also against another IRS whistleblower, Joseph Ziegler, who had similarly come forward regarding the Hunter Biden case. Leavitt has requested that the OSC intervene to prevent what he calls an apparent case of retaliation and has urged congressional Republicans to ask for a briefing on the progress of the OSC’s 17-month-long investigation.
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