House Ways and Means Chair Richard Neal formally asked a government watchdog to investigate IRS audits of former FBI director James Comey and his deputy, Andrew McCabe, both of whom were fired by former President Donald Trump.
Neal, in a letter released Thursday, asked the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration to detail how Comey and McCabe were selected for an “exceedingly rare” type of audit and who within the IRS has the power to add or remove people from the audit list. He also asked the watchdog to share whether IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig or former IRS chief counsel Michael Desmond—both Trump political appointees—knew that Comey and McCabe had been tapped for audits.
- “The American people need to have full faith in the IRS and the fair administration of our tax laws,” Neal (D-Mass.) said. “I am very concerned about the impact on public confidence resulting from allegations that the IRS has been used to exact revenge on political enemies.”
- The IRS earlier said Rettig had already requested a TIGTA investigation into the audits. Agency spokeswoman Jodie Reynolds denied that agency officials targeted anyone with the audit program.
- Read more: Treasury Watchdog to Review IRS Audits of Two Ex-FBI Officials
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