Warner, Democrats on Senate Finance Committee Sound Alarm Over Trump Weaponization of the IRS Against the Free Speech Rights of Trump Opponents

Washington – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) joined Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee Ron Wyden (D-OR), Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and the 12 other Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee in demanding answers about the Trump administration’s reported plans to weaponize the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) criminal-investigative division in an attack on the free speech rights of progressive individuals and groups the President sees as opponents. The senators noted that politically motivated interference in the administration of tax law is prohibited under federal law and can result in criminal penalties, including incarceration. They sought to learn who has 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 as part of this abusive, illegal weaponization scheme.
“Federal law prohibits political interference with the administration of tax laws and bars the President, Vice President, White House staff, and all Cabinet-level officials except for the Attorney General from requesting investigations into specific taxpayers,”the senators wrote. “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. 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’ letter asked the following of Treasury Secretary and Acting IRS Commissioner Scott Bessent as well as Gary Shapley, deputy chief of the IRS Criminal Investigation division:
Full text of the letter is availablehere.