GOP questions whether IRS, Treasury tried to intimidate a witness

Matt Taibbi, the journalist who published the Twitter Files, reported that he received a surprise visit from an IRS agent before appearing in Congress.

Oficina del IRS en Nueva York — (Matthew G. Bisanz / Wikimedia Commons)

Published by

Israel Duro

28 de marzo, 2023

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House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan demanded explanations from the IRS and the Treasury Department for the surprise appearance of an IRS agent at the home of a journalist whose reporting provoked many Democratic politicians. Jordan demanded documentation regarding the incident, questioning whether this was an attempt to intimidate a witness, since the reporter was testifying in Congress at the time of the visit.

"The most serious" government abuse

The Republican congressman sent a letter to IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel and Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen. The report, asking them to clarify the suspicious coincidence between Matt Taibbi's testimony before the House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government and the visit of the IRS agent at his home.

The circumstances surrounding the IRS’s unannounced and unprompted visit to Mr. Taibbi’s home, at the exact time that he was testifying to Congress about "the most serious" government abuse he has witnessed in his career as a journalist, are incredible. The IRS’s visit is all the more concerning in light of Mr. Taibbi’s assertions that the IRS informed him the problems were not "monetary" and he had never received any prior indication of any issues with his 2018 return.

Taibbi, a nuisance for Democrats

Taibbi appeared as a witness for his role as one of the main publishers of Elon Musk's Twitter Files. His threads on the social network denounced government pressure to silence and censor people and opinions, especially in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. Democratic legislators were particularly annoyed, and they clashed harshly with the reporter during the hearing, even demanding that he reveal his sources.

This led Jordan to question whether it is just a coincidence that the IRS's visit to Taibbi's New Jersey home coincided with the reporter's testimony before Congress. The IRS agent left him a note instructing him to contact the agency.

In light of the hostile reaction to Mr. Taibbi’s reporting among left-wing activists, and the IRS’s history as a tool of government abuse, the IRS’s action could be interpreted as an attempt to intimidate a witness before Congress.

The IRS rejected Taibbi's tax returns

The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee charged that the IRS rejected Taibbi's 2018 and 2021 tax returns due to identity theft concerns, years after they were filed and validated. However, the journalist was surprised by the IRS announcement, which he was informed of after returning the call as indicated in the note left by the agent who came to his home.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Taibbi insisted that he even has electronic validation from the IRS on his 2018 return. With respect to 2021, the journalist said that he has been rejected on two occasions, despite having a pin number provided by the IRS itself. Taibbi clarified that it is not a "monetary" issue, and, in fact, it is the IRS that owes him a "considerable" amount.

Agent visits are not typical IRS practice

An unannounced home visit by an agent is not one of the IRS's standard procedures. When the Treasury Department contests any part of a tax return, it usually sends a letter of complaint or asks for more information from the taxpayer or the person filing the return. In the event that the agency finds it necessary to audit the documentation submitted, they schedule a meeting at an IRS office.

Taibbi posted on his Twitter account that he does not want to make any further statements on the matter and assured that he is not worried for himself.