Hunter Biden says two agents of the IRS, Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler, wrongfully targeted him by implicating him in violation of federal privacy laws while voicing concerns about how a criminal probe into the first son was conducted.

Biden also indicted the IRS for failing to stop sharing his finances. It claims he suffered severe damage to his reputation’ as well as emotional distress from the wrongful conduct, and that he has been aggrieved at being named in a criminal case.

The lawsuit was filed in D.C. federal court.

The lawsuit identifies various media interviews with the IRS whistleblowers and their lawyers, including on Fox News, CNN, a CBS News interview, and a podcast interview on John Solomon Reports. In the lawsuit, officials declare that they made disclosures about Mr. Biden during their private tax interviews.

The lawsuit alleges that the IRS did not order Mr. Shapley or his agents to immediately cease publicly and unlawfully disclosing Mr. Biden’s confidential tax return information and failed to take reasonable action to prevent the further disclosure of such information.

The lawsuit is seeking $1,000 per unauthorized disclosure and unspecified punitive damages. It also seeks a federal court order commanding the IRS to develop a data security plan under the Privacy Act.

Hunter Biden’s legal manoeuvres come as he is being indicted on gun charges. Last week, he sued the former Trump White House official involved in the dissemination of purported contents from his laptop. His lawyers have sent communications between their team and Justice Department officials to Republican lawmakers, accusing them of applying pressure on the feds to press gun charges against him.