They also want a sit-down with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who is also acting IRS commissioner, on the issue.
By: Brian Faler, POLITICO
House Democratic tax writers are demanding an investigation into a report that the IRS plans to begin targeting liberal groups with criminal investigations.
In a letter released Friday, the Ways and Means Committee lawmakers asked an agency watchdog, the Acting Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, to look into the matter.
Separately, they also asked committee Chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.) to convene a special meeting of the panel with Treasury Secretary and acting IRS Commissioner Scott Bessent to discuss the issue.
They complained their Republican colleagues have said little in the wake of a Wall Street Journal story describing an effort at the IRS to stock its criminal investigation unit with White House allies and investigate a list of Democratic donors and organizations.
The IRS is supposed to be a neutral administrator of the code.
“As our Republican colleagues have routinely stated, the IRS should never be weaponized against the American people or used to target individuals based on their political beliefs,” ranking Democratic Rep. Richard Neal (Mass.) and others wrote in one of the letters.
Spokespersons for Smith and Bessent did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Journal’s report is reminiscent of other efforts by the Trump administration to use the resources of the federal government, such as the Justice Department, to target the president’s political enemies. It is ironic because Republicans complained for years about an episode from the Obama administration when the IRS singled out some conservative organizations seeking tax-exempt status for extra scrutiny.
It is also illegal for the White House to demand the IRS investigate specific individuals under provisions added to the code by Republicans during the Clinton administration.
