IRS whistleblowers who came forward to allege that Hunter Biden hadn't paid his taxes and wasn't being held accountable said that the new charges against him are a "complete vindication" of their testimony against him.

"Eight months ago we did something ordinary people don’t do: we risked our careers and reputations to bring the truth out of the shadows and into the light," Shapley and Ziegler said in a joint-statement. "We were moved solely by our consciences, yet faced continual attacks. Nevertheless, in the face of all odds, we never wavered from what we shared with Congress."

The sentiments of Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler were echoed by former Whitewater deputy counsel Sol Wisenberg Friday on Fox&Friends.

Weisenberg said,

This indictment, which is a devastating indictment, really is a complete vindication of the whistleblowers. There's no reason this indictment couldn't have been brought a year ago or two years ago. Remember, the whistleblowers had to fight to get this investigation continued and ultimately lost. And if it hadn't been for [Judge Maryellen Noreika] in that federal Delaware courtroom, that hinky plea deal would have gone down.

"Greedy" lawyers overreached

He also said Hunter Biden's attorneys got "greedy" and overreached in trying to get the plea deal they did.

He said,

And it's really, from a criminal defense perspective, from a white-collar crime perspective, I would really say the defense attorneys for Hunter Biden got too greedy in what they wanted from that plea deal. And that's why it blew up. It was a big mistake in how they handled this case.

The new charges against Biden include three felonies and six misdemeanors and amount to at least $1.4 million in taxes not paid by Biden between 2017 and 2020. Other years could have been included but had passed the statute of limitations.

Biden's back taxes were paid by a Democrat donor and lawyer who has helped to defend him.

Biden has acknowledged that he was struggling with addiction during those years, but that does not give a person a pass from suffering the consequences if they break the law.

"Extravagant lifestyle"

Hunter Biden “spent millions of dollars on an extravagant lifestyle rather than paying his tax bills,” special counsel David Weiss said in a statement.

Biden could face up to 17 years in prison for the charges against him. He also faces charges related to a firearm he purchased in 2018 despite laws against purchasing or possessing guns while actively using illegal drugs.

He allegedly lied on the ATF form to purchase the weapon, which is also illegal. Biden pleaded not guilty to the gun charges earlier this year.

For the whistleblowers the charges against Biden are "about equal treatment of taxpayers under the law" and underscore "the wide agreement by investigators and prosecutors that the evidence supported charges against Hunter Biden."