While You Worry About the FBI, Remember the IRS

Clarice Feldman writes for the American Thinker about another federal agency with the potential to run amok.

We have seen for some time how off-the-rails the FBI has become, a danger to a free society. More and more evidence now shows it’s not just the FBI. Every federal employee with a badge and gun seems to think he’s a law unto himself. This week the spotlight is on the IRS, and the Congress has to step up and rein the agency in.

While Matt Taibbi was testifying before Congress on the administration’s extensive censoring of social media content, the IRS appeared at his door, ostensibly to question him about his taxes, but obviously to intimidate him for showing up government censorship.

“Mr. Taibbi has told Mr. Jordan’s committee that an IRS agent showed up at his personal residence in New Jersey on March 9. That happens to be the same day Mr. Taibbi testified before the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government about what he learned about Twitter. The taxman left a note instructing Mr. Taibbi to call the IRS four days later. Mr. Taibbi was told in a call with the agent that both his 2018 and 2021 tax returns had been rejected owing to concerns over identity theft.” …

… Twenty armed IRS agents raided a gun store in Great Falls, Montana, earlier this week. The owner reports that these agents confiscated all the 4473 forms, none of which contain any financial information. David Paulides tweeted: “20 armed IRS agents raided his store in Great Falls earlier this week. Tom [the shop owner] informed me that these agents confiscated all the 4473 forms, none of which contain any financial information; instead, the IRS now has access to these forms with sensitive personal details of every customer who purchased a firearm from Highwood Creek Outfitters.”

Does any of this bother you? The debt deal on the Inflation Reduction Act did cut $21 billion out of the IRS’ $80 billion budget, but did not reduce or eliminate the Administration’s plan to hire 87,000 more of these armed, over-the-top Fearless Fosdicks.