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Senate Finance Committee Chairman Sean Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) Said in a statement that “a thorough investigation of this issue is crucial” – his panel will “see what steps” it can take on its own. .
“Donald Trump does not respect the rule of law, so if he tries to subject his political enemies to an additional IRS investigation no one will be surprised. We need to understand what happened here because it raises serious concerns.” Does, ”Weiden said.
Republican Kevin Brady (R-Texas), a senior Republican in the House of Representatives’ Committee on Taxes, said in a separate statement that he would support an “investigation of all allegations of political motives.” But Brady cited assurances from IRS Commissioner Charles Rattig, who said he had no ties to Trump, and that the GOP Congress, led by former President Barack Obama, was also politically broad against the administration for claiming to target conservatives. Participate.
The bilateral political blow, however, reflects the seriousness of the allegations and the IRS’s long-standing distrust in Capitol Hill. For some, the news even raised fears of Nixon’s notorious administration, when the president used the IRS – and its vast power to oversee American finances – before resigning his political enemies. Follow.
An investigation into the matter will be conducted by the Treasury Inspector General for the Tax Authority or TIGTA, which usually investigates at the request of attorneys. Weiden said Retig told him in a statement that “any allegations of wrongdoing are taken seriously and referred.” [inspector general] For further review. A senior government official familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity that Ratig had referred the matter to TIGTA. A TIGTA spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The IRS, meanwhile, insisted in a statement that the rating was not personally “involved in individual audits or taxpayer cases,” which would instead be administered by “career civil servants.”
“As IRS commissioner, he has never had contact with the White House – in any department – on IRS implementation or individual taxpayer issues.” The agency said. “He is committed to moving the IRS from top to bottom in an impartial and unbiased manner.”
For years, Trump has repeatedly and publicly attacked Comey and McCabe, accusing them of crimes and accusing him of pursuing politically motivated magic. While both men have been investigated, and sometimes criticized for their behavior, have not been charged with any crime.
The types of IRS searches they have experimented with are designed to be rare and random. The possibility that the two men were so hated by the former president will be investigated over the years to raise concerns about possible political abuse of IRS power.
Comey said in a statement: “I don’t know what went wrong, but after realizing how unusual this investigation was and what Trump wanted to do to me at the time, it means that Find out. ” “Maybe it’s a coincidence or maybe someone misused the IRS to get in touch with a political enemy. Given the role that Trump wants to continue to play in our country, we need to know the answer to that question.” شو.
McCabe’s lawyer confirmed that he had also been investigated.
The New York Times, which reported the audit for the first time, said Komi’s investigation began in 2019, focusing on his 2017 tax return, the year he signed the seven-figure book deal. The Times said McCabe’s investigation began in 2021, focusing on his tax return for 2019.
The McCabe investigation began months ago in the Biden administration, but the administration is still being run by Trump-appointed commissioner, Charles Ratting.
Ever since the Nixon administration’s politically motivated abuse, the IRS has been proud of systems designed to keep politics or personal incentives out of the administration’s tax review process. Asked to comment on Comey and McCabe’s audits, the IRS said in a statement that privacy laws prohibit them from discussing specific taxpayers.
The statement said: “Inspections are conducted by career civil servants, and the IRS has strong protections for maintaining the testing process – and against politically motivated inspections.” “It’s ridiculous and inaccurate to suggest that senior IRS officials somehow target specific individuals for national research program investigations.”
Lisa Ryan and Jeff Stein contributed to this report.
