The IRS appeared to have some explaining to do after “Twitter Files” journalist Matt Taibbi reported on a suspiciously timed visit that coincided with his Congressional testimony about threats to the First Amendment.
With billionaire Elon Musk’s takeover of the social media platform Twitter, and his personal philosophy of free speech absolutism, came the steady stream of receipts that implicated the federal government in working with Big Tech to suppress and control the flow of information regarding specific topics like the 2020 election and COVID. Those revelations were under investigation by the House Judiciary Committee before which Taibbi testified on March 9, the same day the IRS came knocking on his door.
First reported by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) Editorial Board, Taibbi notified committee chair Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) as soon as he became aware that the agency was auditing his 2018 and 2021 tax returns.
According to the journalist, while he was in Washington, D.C. testifying before the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, an IRS agent reportedly ventured to his home with a note informing him to call the agency four days later.
Taibbi had been informed his 2018 and 2021 tax returns had been rejected over identity theft concerns, a point he rejected presenting proof that his 2018 return had been electronically accepted and asserting there had been no word of an issue in the 4 1/2 years since.
Jordan asked about this in a letter to IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel and the Department of Treasury, as well as the 2021 return that Taibbi said had been rejected twice.
“The bigger question is when did the IRS start to dispatch agents for surprise house calls?” the WSJ asked. “Typically, when the IRS challenges some part of a tax return, it sends a dunning letter. Or it might seek more information from the taxpayer or tax preparer. If the IRS wants to audit a return, it schedules a meeting at the agent’s office. It doesn’t drop by unannounced.”
As previously reported, Taibbi was testifying about how examining internal communications at Twitter had exposed links between it and other tech companies and various federal agencies like the FBI and DoD.
Matt Taibbi testifies on ‘Twitter Files’: ‘This mechanism for punishment without due process is horrifying’ https://t.co/JzSP2MEmxz
— American Wire News (@americanwire_) March 9, 2023
The same week, a report from the committee suggested the Federal Trade Commission had been harassing Twitter, seeking the names of any journalists who had been granted access to the files, or as the report stated, “work protected by the First Amendment, including their work to expose abuses by Big Tech and the federal government.”
“The curious timing of this visit, on the heels of the FTC demand that Twitter turn over names of journalists, raises questions about potential intimidation, and Mr. Jordan is right to want to see documents and communications relating to the Taibbi visit,” the Journal continued.
“The fear of many Americans is that, flush with its new $80 billion in funding from Congress, the IRS will unleash its fearsome power against political opponents,” the editorial board wrote. “Mr. Taibbi deserves to know why the agency decided to pursue him with a very strange house call.”
Musk, himself a central figure in the exposure, reacted to the news about the timing of the IRS investigation by simply stating, “That’s very odd.”
That’s very odd
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 28, 2023
Meanwhile, Taibbi himself deflected probes for comment until after Jordan received a response from the agency.
“For those asking, I don’t want to comment on the IRS issue pending an answer to chairman @JimJordan’s letter. I’m not worried for myself, but I did feel the Committee should be aware of the situation,” he tweeted.
For those asking, I don’t want to comment on the IRS issue pending an answer to chairman @Jim_Jordan’s letter. I’m not worried for myself, but I did feel the Committee should be aware of the situation.
— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) March 28, 2023
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Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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