IRS Audit: A strange coincidence or a list of new enemies?

The story first, even if it turns out to be relevant Report by The New York TimesRecalls the dark times when national tax authorities were or seemed to be used as political weapons.

At that time, a list of journalists, union officers, and actors who were unfriendly to the president was given to the IRS director. Johnny McWaltersWho Denied for a long time As a result of being on the list, everyone was audited.

Read now This account After publishing a report from journalist and scholar David Anderman about Nixon’s attitude towards school buses, he said he had been repeatedly audited.

Then there was the IRS scandal of the tea party era.

Conservative parties during the Obama administration struggled to achieve tax exemption status, although it caused a politically damaging scandal. Subsequent reviews Liberal groups were also scrutinized, and no partisan political targets were found.

What’s happening now?

News about a former FBI agent facing an audit broke on Wednesday. McCabe immediately called for an investigation.

“It’s just-it’s unbelievable that this happens twice in 30,000 events for the same people whose former president was similarly targeted and continues to be targeted today.” Said. McCabe, now CNN’s law enforcement analyst, said on Thursday’s “New Day.”

The head of the Internal Revenue Service has asked observers to investigate, officials said Thursday.

Is there any direct evidence that the IRS specifically targeted Comey and McCabe?

No. It may simply be an incredible coincidence that these two FBI top executives, who were fired publicly and spectacularly by the Trump administration, were subsequently randomly audited.

How much coincidence is this?

big. In both the tax filing years in which Comey (2017) and McCabe (2019) were audited, Americans filed approximately 153 million tax returns. Approximately 5,000 of these types of audits were conducted in 2017 and approximately 8,000 were conducted in 2019, according to a Times report.

How were Comey and McCabe randomly chosen?

Here’s what the IRS says on its website about the random selection of tax returns for these audits:

Random selection and computer screening -Returns may be selected based solely on statistical formulas. For similar filings, compare the tax return with the “standard”. These “norms” are created from auditing statistically valid random revenue samples as part of the IRS’s national research program.

An experienced auditor will be told by the IRS to review each return flagged by the system and refer to it for auditing.

Did you have any problems with Comey and McCabe’s taxes?

No. According to The Times, Comey has actually received a small refund of $ 347 and McCabe said he would have to pay the IRS a small surcharge.

What does the IRS say about this coincidence?

Authorities seem to take this issue seriously. Charles Rettig, IRS Director, Trump’s appointed, I referred to the complaint In a statement to the Treasury Inspector General, authorities violently denied any misconduct.

“It’s ridiculously untrue to suggest that senior IRS officials have somehow targeted specific individuals subject to audits in national research programs,” the IRS said.

The IRS stated that audits are handled by career civil servants and have protective measures to protect them from politically motivated audits.

When did these accidental audits take place?

According to The Times, Comey was informed about the audit for the 2017 tax year in November 2019.

McCabe was informed about the 2019 tax year audit in October 2021 after Trump resigned.

In a statement to the Times, the agency said that Rettig, who has been leading the IRS since 2018, will play no role in selecting candidates for audit.

McCabe told “New Day” Thursday that he suspected no misconduct until he was contacted by the New York Times. He also praised the IRS staff who conducted his audit. But he argued that investigation was needed.

Why were Comey and McCabe fired again by the Trump administration?

Comey Dismissed by TrumpAt least in part, he refused to promise loyalty to the then president, crushing the FBI’s investigation into whether Russia’s intervention in the 2016 presidential election and the involvement of Trump campaign officials.

McCabe was dismissed as Deputy Director of the FBI in 2018, a few days before he was eligible for early retirement. He later settled a proceeding against the Justice Department and was able to essentially eliminate his firing. Clawback retirement benefits..Trump disliked McCabe because he appeared in the same Russian investigation and Trump went so often. Attacked McCabe’s wifeIn 2015, he ran for Virginia Senator as a Democrat.

CNN contacted Trump’s representative for comment. “I don’t know about this,” the former president said in a statement to the Times through a spokesman.

What is the current story of the IRS audit?

According to recent reports, the IRS is actually auditing fewer people in recent years GAO report..

According to GAO, we audit people who earn less than $ 25,000 and more than $ 500,000 at the highest rates.

another Congressional Research Service The report records a 63% drop in IRS review rates between 2010 and 2019, primarily due to budget cuts and fewer examiners. The IRS had more than 46,000 collection and examiner employees in 2010, but less than 30,000 in 2019.

Isn’t the audit supposed to be private?

yes. Ask Mr. Trump. He has been in conflict with the IRS for many years over the large deductions he has taken. Despite the long-standing practice of presidential candidates, he refused to publish his tax returns for years. Times Eventually I got some of them and published them. Trump has spent years protecting his tax returns from New York and Congressional investigators.

IRS too Start investigation rear ProPublica We recently obtained and published information about the wealthiest American tax returns, including Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and Warren Buffett.A series of reports worth it is how the wealthiest people on the planet Don’t pay taxes..

Source: www.cnn.com