The inspector general of the Treasury Department will investigate the circumstances surrounding the unusual and thorough tax audits that were conducted on two former FBI agents who had conflicts with the late President Donald Trump.
High-ranking congressional Democrats and Republicans have called for a probe of the extensive Internal Revenue Service audit of former FBI Director James Comey and Andrew McCabe, the deputy FBI director who eventually took over as director when Comey was fired by Trump.
Jodie Reynolds, a spokesperson for the IRS, denied that agency officials had singled out anyone with the audit program and said that IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig, who was chosen by Trump, had forwarded the case to the Treasury inspector general for tax administration.
The IRS has significant measures in place to protect the examination process and against politically-driven audits, according to Reynolds, who said in a statement that audits are handled by career civil employees.
“It is ridiculous and incorrect to claim that top IRS officers in some way singled out certain people for National Research Program audits.”
The audits of Comey and McCabe have raised “severe concerns,” according to Ron Wyden, chair of the Senate Finance Committee.
“Donald Trump has no respect for the rule of law, so if he tried to subject his political opponents to more IRS inspection it would surprise no one,” said Democratic Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon in a statement.
Texas’ Kevin Brady, the senior Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee, stated in a statement that “the IRS should never be used as a weapon against political opponents,” and that he supports looking into “any claims of political targeting.”
Following the Times report’s publication on Wednesday night, Wyden and Brady both claimed that Rettig informed them of the IG investigation.
Brady reported that Rettig had informed him that the audits were random and that Rettig had not spoken to Trump before them. Brady added that one of the reasons for his own call for an investigation was past claims that conservatives were singled out under former President Barack Obama.
President Joe Biden’s faith in Rettig was not a topic that White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre chose to avoid discussing.
She mentioned Rettig and remarked, “His term is up in November, but I don’t have any information on that.” I’ll just leave it at that, I’m sorry.
initiated audits
According to the New York Times, McCabe was notified by the IRS that his 2019 tax return would be subject to an invasive audit, and Comey was informed by the IRS that his 2017 tax return would be subject to one as well.
5,000 of the special audits, out of the 153 million individual tax returns submitted in 2017, were conducted, according to The Times, making the audits incredibly uncommon.
According to The Times, Comey and his wife, Patrice Comey, had their taxes audited for a year and it was discovered that they had overpaid, resulting in a $347 refund.
According to McCabe, his wife Jill McCabe and he submitted a joint tax return, and during the audit, it was discovered that McCabe owed a minor amount of money, which they had already paid.
The investigation Comey was working on into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, according to Trump, was a factor in his decision to terminate him in 2017.
Later, Comey orchestrated the release of a memo regarding a private meeting with Trump that he had written before being fired.
In the memo, Trump is said to have requested that Comey halt the FBI’s investigation into Michael Flynn, the former White House national security adviser.
Between 2016 and 2018, McCabe served as the FBI’s deputy director; however, following Comey’s dismissal, he served as acting director for a portion of 2017.
After being suspected of deceiving internal bureau investigators, he was dismissed by the then-attorney General Jeff Sessions a day or so before his scheduled retirement. The action was politically motivated, according to McCabe.
In a letter to the Treasury inspector general for tax administration on Thursday, House Ways and Means Chair Richard Neal urged for a thorough inquiry.
He asserted that the accusations are reminiscent of information that surfaced in 1971, according to which then-President Richard Nixon informed key advisors that he wanted the next IRS commissioner to pursue his political adversaries.
Neal wrote to Inspector General J. Russell George, “The potential that the former President or someone in the White House, his cabinet, his appointments, or leadership working under the Trump-appointed IRS Commissioner may have requested an audit of persons believed to be disloyal is frightening.
Read more:-
- Inspector General to Examine James Comey and Andrew Mccabe’s Irs Audits
- Trump Foes Comey and Mccabe’s Audits Are Being Closely Examined, According to the Irs.
- Could Politically Motivated Attacks Against American Citizens Use the Irs? Seven Things to Know
The head of the oversight subcommittee for Ways and Means, Representative Bill Pascrell, expressed doubt and suggested that Rettig step down right once despite the IRS’s statement that neither guy was singled out.
The group Donald Trump and his government enablers may be the only ones on the planet, according to Democrat Pascrell of New Jersey, who said in a statement that they don’t necessarily deserve to be given the benefit of the doubt.
Charles Rettig, the commissioner of the IRS, was chosen by Donald Trump, and his tenure there has been nothing but disaster.
