On May 15, 2023, the legal counsel for an IRS whistleblower sent a letter to the House Ways and Means Committee and House Judiciary Committee alleging that their client had been retaliated against for coming forward with information pertaining to the mishandling of a case concerning a high-profile individual. Chairman Smith notified IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel of his investigation into the retaliation and was informed the case had been referred to TIGTA and the DOJ OIG.

In their letters today to TIGTA and the DOJ OIG, Chairmen Smith and Jordan note that the alleged retaliation appears to have occurred after IRS Commissioner Werfel publicly committed that no retaliation will take place against whistleblowers:

“The Committees take seriously any allegations of misconduct by government officials or offices. Given the importance of this issue, Chairman Smith specifically asked IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel at the Committee on Ways and Means’ April 27, 2023, hearing entitled, Accountability and Transparency at the Internal Revenue Service with IRS Commissioner Werfel, to commit that there will be no retaliation taken against that whistleblower. The Commissioner responded with the following:

Mr. Chairman, while I can’t comment on a specific case, I can say without any hesitation there will be no retaliation for anyone making an allegation or a call to a whistleblower hotline.

“On May 15, 2023—less than three weeks after the Commissioner made that commitment—the Committees received a letter from the IRS employee’s legal counsel notifying the Committees that on May 15, 2023, the IRS employee ‘was informed that he and his entire investigative team are being removed from the ongoing and sensitive investigation of the high-profile, controversial subject about which [their] client sought to make whistleblower disclosures to Congress.’ Moreover, the letter notes that the IRS employee was informed that the change was made at the request of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).”

Original source can be found here