I have an admission to make.

If confronted with the choice to be a whistleblower or not, I would be inclined to keep my mouth shut unless the consequences of silence were life or death. I like to think that my belief in justice would motivate me to speak up every time something wrong happens, but over the years, I have watched whistleblowers get destroyed, even if they are proven right. 

Becoming a whistleblower takes incredible courage or incredible naiveté. Things often turn out well for the malefactor and rarely for the whistleblower. We may get justice in the coming life, but in this life, not so much. Occasionally, a liberal whistleblower with the full backing of the media winds up doing all right, but even that is rare enough. 

So imagine my joy when I see a good guy doing the right thing, taking on the most powerful people in the world, and coming out a winner. 

It's like discovering a unicorn farting clean energy solutions or something. 

Fantastic news. Hoping Shapley starts by firing every single deep state Leftist who was all for targeting conservative groups using the might of the IRS. The IRS is vastly overstaffed. pic.twitter.com/rxO1kvH7cu

— We the People | Populism is Democracy 🇺🇸 (@Jude_62) April 16, 2025

Gary Shapley is that unicorn. It was not a cautionary tale, as most of us expected, but the good guy who did well by doing right. 

Shapley became a household name, at least with the politically interested when he and Joe Ziegler blew the whistle on the IRS coverup of the Hunter Biden investigation. The Justice Department did everything but shoot the two to derail the investigation into Biden's tax problems and, more importantly, the former president's involvement in Hunter's corruption. 

As they investigated, the government slow-walked things so much that statutes of limitations ran out on the most serious charges. They were stymied when trying to follow investigative paths. They were left out of investigative meetings. 

It was an all-hands-on-deck coverup, and they blew the whistle. Not fun, and not likely to turn out well for them. The Republicans were certainly happy they came forward, but that and $5 will buy you a grande latte. 

But a funny thing happened. The Trump people remembered, and Shapley was just named the new IRS administrator. 

Last month, both men were brought back to the IRS, which was remarkable enough. Careers get derailed for annoying one's boss; they get destroyed for exposing his wrongdoing. 

Perhaps our celebration is premature. So far the White House and Treasury have not confirmed that Shapley will be named Acting Commissioner, but all signs point to yes, and the celebration of supporters will make it hard to reverse course. 

A spokesperson for the Treasury, which oversees the IRS, praised Shapley in a statement.

“Gary has proven his honesty and devotion to enforcing the law without fear or favor, even at great cost to his own career,” they said. “He’ll be a great asset to the IRS as we rethink and reform this crucial organization.

When reached for comment, the White House pointed to the Treasury statement.

This is an extraordinary rise for Shapley, who was a career supervisory IRS agent when he went public in 2023 with allegations that the Justice Department stonewalled their efforts to investigate Hunter Biden’s tax crimes and even tried to block charges from being filed. But other top officials, including at the IRS and the DOJ special counsel who led the Hunter Biden probe, have refuted some of Shapley’s claims.

Last month, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent praised Shapley as a truth-seeker who can reform the IRS, when he tapped him to be one of his senior advisers and promoted one of Shapley’s deputies.

“It’s really a travesty what happened here,” Bessent said in a Fox Business interview. “These two gentlemen were dedicated civil servants trying to do their jobs, and they were blocked from doing that. We’re going to make sure that never happens again. Whether you’re related to the president, no matter how powerful you are, the IRS is going to behave fairly.”

Shapley would become the fourth person to lead the beleaguered IRS this year, as Trump’s pick for full-time commissioner – former Missouri Rep. Billy Long – awaits confirmation in the GOP-led Senate.

Shapley wouldn't become the permanent commissioner, which isn't surprising. To be honest, he is unlikely to have the political chops necessary to fill the role in these turbulent times. The IRS will be Ground Zero for a lot of political battles, and Shapley is probably too much of a straight shooter to survive the coming wars. 

But he will do the job fine until a more political Commissioner can get confirmed, and the appointment is a reminder to everybody else that doing the right thing is not necessarily a career death sentence. 

And, of course, we all need to be assured that occasionally justice can be done. Cynicism may be necessary to get through life, but without some idealism, the world becomes irredeemably dark.