Elections
Some school districts opt out of streaming Biden inauguration amid security concerns
Washington, D.C. has been secured by 25,000 National Guard troops this week in preparation for the inauguration of President-Elect Joe Biden Wednesday. The security concerns increased after a January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
The riot took place after President Donald Trump spoke to his supporters and encouraged them to make their voices heard in front of the Capitol as Congress was certifying the Electoral College results, making Joe Biden the President-Elect.
Rioters then broke windows, entered and looted the building. The chaos resulted in 5 deaths.
Trump later clarified that he was encouraging a peaceful protest and condemned the violence.
Since then, the city has been on high alert as National Guardsmen from dozens of states pour in to assure a peaceful event.
However, amid concerns of potential violence, a number of schools across the country have reportedly opted to not show students the live inauguration ceremony.
That includes the Keller Independent School District in Dallas, Texas, which is allowing parents to excuse their students from class during the live stream, according to the Dallas Morning News.
According to the Bangor Daily News, the Bangor School Department in Maine says it won’t show the event to students “due to the threat of potential violence.”
New York’s Ossining Union Free School District in New York won’t show the inauguration to “ensure the social and emotional well-being of our students,” according to a letter from the school district’s superintendent.
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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