The elusive “Whistleblower X’ testified before Congress on Wednesday. Let’s just say that his opening statement, which was released in advance by the House Oversight Committee, tells us a lot about him and what is motivating him to come forward about the corruption he has witnessed, as federal agencies take extreme steps to protect the Bidens.
The first interesting detail is that “Whistleblower X” is a gay Democrat named Joseph Ziegler. But he insists this isn’t what makes him a credible witness.
“I’ve recently discovered that people are saying that I must be more credible because I’m a Democrat who happens to be married to a man,” Ziegler said in his opening statement. “I’m no more credible than this man sitting next to me due to my sexual orientation or my political beliefs. The truth is, my credibility comes today from my job experience with the IRS and my intimate knowledge of the agency’s standard and procedures.”
“I was raised and have always strived to do what is right. I have heard from some that I am a traitor to the Democratic Party and that I am causing more division in our society,” the official transcript of Ziegler’s opening statement reads. “I implore you, that if you were put in my position with the facts as I have stated them, that you would be doing the exact same thing — regardless of your political party affiliation.”
“I hope that I am an example to other LGBTQ people out there, who are questioning doing the right thing at a potential cost to themselves and others. We should ALWAYS do the right thing, no matter how painful the process might be,” he continued. “I kind of equate this to coming out, it was honestly one of the hardest things I ever had to do. I contemplated scenarios that would have been highly regrettable. But I did what was right and I am sitting in front of you here today.”
Ziegler went on to say that he has witnessed “the corrosion of ethical standards and the abuse of power that threaten our nation.”
“It is within this context that I have chosen to shed light on these actions and expose those responsible,” he continued. “I recognize that while I was present at the start of this investigation and was closely involved with the investigation for roughly five years – that I’m just a part of the story. Others – including my colleague and supervisor Gary Shapley who is here with me today – have their own views and understandings of what took place during this investigation.”
Ziegler’s opening statement went on to detail the improper way the Hunter Biden investigation was handled and the retaliation he faced for asking questions. “My own agency retaliated against me and threatened me with criminal conduct in response to an internal email I sent to IRS leadership, even after years of essentially being left on an island when it came to this investigation. It is not my desire to become a martyr for this case — and I fear effectively ending my career. I did not ask to be in this position, nor did I want to be,” he said. “At the end of the day, I worked on a complex criminal tax investigation over the last 5 years and the investigative process is 99.9% done and we were in the process of bringing the case to indictment. Since October of 2022, the Delaware AUSAs and DOJ-Tax had effectively stopped communicating with me and my team has ultimately been removed from the investigative team.”
Ziegler still insists that a special counsel is needed for this investigation. According to Ziegler, “It is not difficult to believe that appointing a special counsel in this matter is the best way to go forward to give everyone confidence in the fairness of our tax system.”
“The U.S. Attorney in Delaware in our investigation was constantly hamstrung, limited, and marginalized by DOJ officials as well as other U.S. Attorneys,” he added. “I still view that a special counsel for this case would have cut through the toughest problems that continues to make problems for this case.”
