ICYMI: Warren, Wyden, and Schumer Press Trump Administration On Weaponization of the IRS Against Political Opponents

“Any effort to weaponize the IRS against President Trump’s perceived enemies is against the law, an abuse of power, and a threat to the integrity of our democratic institutions. [The IRS] cannot be the President’s political attack dog.”
Text of Letter (PDF)
Washington, D.C.- Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) led Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee in demanding answers about the Trump administration’s reported plans to weaponize the IRS criminal-investigative (IRS-CI) division in an attack on the free speech rights of progressive individuals and political opponents.
“Federal law prohibits political interference with the administration of tax laws…You must immediately end all attempts to politicize the agency, including attempts to use the agency to attack Americans with different political views,”the senators wrote.
Under federal law, the President, Vice President, White House staff, and almost all cabinet-level officials are barred from requesting investigations into specific taxpayers.
The changes to IRS-CI appear to be part of a broadereffortby the Trump Administration to use the powers of the federal government to target the President’s political enemies. For example, Trump administration officials have beentrying to revokeHarvard’s tax-exempt status since the President directed the IRS to do so. IRS lawyers have reportedly blocked these efforts, arguing they have no legal basis. Now, it appears the Trump administration is trying to evade these restrictions by proposing changes to how IRS criminal probes are conducted, including changing the Internal Revenue Manual to diminish the role that chief-counsel lawyers play in criminal investigations.
“IRS-CI cannot be used as a weapon to target political enemies, and any attempt to turn it into one is illegal,”the senators concluded.“You should immediately end all attempts to politicize the IRS, including attempts to use the agency to attack Americans who have different political views.”
The senators requested more information, including about administration officials that have directed and participated in this IRS weaponization, what changes the Administration intends to make to IRS policy, and what individuals and groups the Administration is targeting.
Senator Warren has fought against the Trump administration’s disturbing efforts to silence free speech and weaponize the federal government against political rivals:
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