A US congressional committee released testimony Thursday from whistleblowers within the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), suggesting that federal officials slow-walked an investigation into President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter. The US House Ways and Means Committee, which is currently majority-Republican, released the testimony following closed door meetings and the announcement of federal charges against Biden earlier this week.

One of the named whistleblowers was a former IRS agent, Gary Shapley. In a May 26 interview, Shapley told the committee that he supervised the investigation into Biden’s taxes, which revealed that Biden had willfully failed to pay federal taxes.

In his testimony, Shapley described instances where Biden received preferential treatment. According to Shapley, the investigation was roadblocked by higher-ups who refused to approve key investigative steps. IRS officials discouraged agents from conducting search warrants, witness interviews or document requests that included Biden’s name. Shapley reported several instances in which Biden invoked the name of his father, President Joe Biden, to influence FBI and IRS agents working on the case.

Shapley claimed to have experienced intimidation for his efforts to investigate Biden. The retaliation included threats from high-ranking officials to the field office where he was conducting the investigation. Shapley also claimed to be “passed over for a promotion for which [Shapley] was clearly most qualified.” Shapley said, “[I]t soon became clear to me that this case was being handled differently than any I’d seen before.”

After Shapley’s testimony was released Thursday, committee chair Representative Jason Smith (R-MO) held a press conference on the decision. Smith said, “The American people deserve to know that when it comes to criminal enforcement, they are not on the same playing field as the wealthy and politically connected class.” However, Democrats on the committee protested the release of the transcripts. Ranking member Richard Neal (D-MA) said, “There’s no corroboration of any of what happened.”

Biden previously announced he was under investigation by the US Attorney’s Office of Delaware in 2020. On June 20, the office announced the charges against Biden. Included among the charges were two violations of 26 U.S.C. § 7203 which criminalizes willfully failing to file a tax return, supply tax information or pay taxes, and a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(3), makes it illegal for a person to transport or receive a firearm purchased outside of a state without a license.

The same day the charges were announced, Biden’s legal counsel submitted a plea deal to plead guilty on the two tax charges. Biden will also enter a pretrial diversion agreement on a separate illegal firearm charge.