Republican Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson sent a letter Friday to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Treasury Department calling for answers after IRS agents made an unannounced visit to the home of journalist Matt Taibbi.
The Daily Caller first obtained the letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel regarding the unannounced visit to his home from an IRS agent on the same day he testified about the Twitter Files before the House Weaponization Subcommittee.
Taibbi was reportedly left a note by an IRS agent, which said to call the agency four days later. During the call, the IRS reportedly told him his 2018 and 2021 tax returns were rejected due to identity theft concerns, The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board noted. (RELATED: REPORT: IRS Agent Showed Up To ‘Twitter Files’ Journalist’s Home Unannounced On The Day He Testified Before Congress)
Here Is What Johnson Asks In The Letter:
- When did the IRS first become aware that Mr. Taibbi was testifying on March 9, 2023, before the House of Representatives Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government?
- Who authorized the alleged visit to Mr. Taibbi’s home on March 9, 2023? Please provide the names and titles of these individuals.
- Did the IRS attempt to contact Mr. Taibbi prior to the alleged March 9, 2023 home visit? If so, please provide any letters or phone logs showing when the IRS first contacted Mr. Taibbi.
- All records referring or relating to the alleged visit to Mr. Taibbi’s home on March 9, 2023, including but not limited to, records relating to the IRS’s concerns about identify theft related to Mr. Taibbi’s 2018 and 2021 tax returns.
- In general, will the IRS ever go to a taxpayer’s home unannounced or as a first contact with that taxpayer?
READ THE LETTER HERE:
(DAILY CALLER OBTAINED) — … by Henry Rodgers
“The IRS owes the American people a full explanation about its visit to Mr. Taibbi’s home the day he was testifying before a Congressional committee. The IRS’s intrusive actions do not appear to be consistent with the agency’s standard practices for contacting taxpayers. The public deserves complete transparency about this troubling incident,” Johnson told the Caller before sending the letter. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Ron Johnson Calls For FBI, DOJ Employees To Come Forward With Info On Trump Mar-A-Lago Raid)
Johnson called for them to provide the requested information by May 5, 2023.
The IRS responded to the Caller’s inquiry about the letter, saying “[the] IRS does not respond to congressional correspondence through the media.” The Treasury Department did not immediately respond.