Former Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth levelled grave accusations against the previous regime of President Joe Biden. The essence of his complaint was centered around his belief that his taxes were audited in undue haste, driven solely by political considerations rather than genuine concerns. With a tone of sharp sarcasm, Hegseth claimed, ‘Of course the beloved Biden IRS didn’t hesitate to ‘audit’ the newly appointed SecDef.’ He described the situation as ‘an absolute charade.’
Further reiterating his criticism, he commented on the ostentatious display of ‘decorum’ and ‘dignity’ by the previous administration. He counter-argued cynically stating that witnessing such actions does nothing but strengthen our resolve. In addition to his comments, Hegseth shared an image that seemingly displayed a notice. The essence of this notice was that he and his wife, Jennifer Hegseth, owe $33,558.16 in taxes.
Elon Musk, who was among the top contributors to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, got involved in the narrative as well. He replied to Hegseth’s post, stating, ‘They seem to have a fascination with hitting below the belt.’ His comment was a criticism of Biden’s administration’s actions. Up to this point, neither the Department of Defense nor the IRS has come forward with a response or clarification regarding Hegseth’s allegations.
Adding to the complex narrative, Musk and his Department of Government Agency (DOGE) are currently making efforts to gain access to a vast array of personal data of taxpayers. This data is housed within the internal computer systems of the IRS. The goal, according to the Trump administration, is to utilize this information to spot instances of tax fraud.
Trump’s administration, however, has been fervently arguing for DOGE’s access to these systems, as per their mission statement to eliminate government excess and dramatically reduce federal spending. Their belief is rooted in the assumption that obtaining this access would facilitate the detection of tax fraud. But the administration officials have not provided substantial evidence of fraud beyond the already identified yearly billions by the IRS.
The political turmoil behind tax audits has been a recurring theme, with allegations surfacing against both the Biden and Trump administrations for purportedly using audits to target their political rivals. The narrative took another turn when, in the spring, Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden found himself in the dock.
Hunter Biden was put in a precarious position facing an allegation of a significant tax default. The charges leveled against him stated that he failed to pay an amount exceeding $1.4 million to the IRS. Hunter vehemently argued his case claiming that the charges against him were politically motivated.
In keeping with the Biden lineage, he argued that such charges ‘would not have been filed against anyone else.’ Sadly, the rest of us aren’t afforded similar preferential treatment from tax authorities. However, his claims fell on deaf ears, and his argument was unsuccessful.
Joe Biden, never one to let his family face hardship, stepped in towards the end of his tenure, and pardoned his son. The charges were wiped clean, like they had never existed. This action made just before exiting the office, was probably not met with the same jubilance by the American taxpayers, as it was by the Biden family.
Under Biden’s rule, and adding further controversy to his administration’s conduct, the IRS requested an external government watchdog to carry out an unusually intrusive tax audit of former FBI officials James Comey and Andrew McCabe. The review was propagated when Trump’s appointee was leading the IRS, adding another layer of complexity to this string of string-pulling.
James Comey, the face of the FBI throughout Trump’s reign, and Andrew McCabe, who ascended to the role of acting director following Comey’s dismissal, had to face the brunt of these exceptionally rare tax audits. These audits seemed more dictated by political anger than any genuine concerns about tax evasion.
This began after they drew Trump’s political ire, leading to a systematic targeting that reeked of political motivations rather than fiscal responsibilities. But it seems that in the high-stakes game of politics, tax audits are just another tool to keep your enemies in check, as exhibited by the recent allegations against Biden and Trump administrations.
While making sense of this, it emerges that these instances aren’t stand-alone incidents but hint towards a trend. This trend speaks volumes about the misuse of power and the political machinations that seem to be becoming the new normal in modern politics.
An ordinary citizen can only hope for fairness, transparency, and justice, as these traits form the bedrock of a functioning democracy. But when these very foundations are shaken by politics-infused tax audits and misuse of power, it’s up to us to question the administration’s intentions.
So it seems that the world of politics has turned tax audits into just another weapon to be wielded against their enemies. It’s a disturbing turn of events and one that the public should be wary of as we continue to coexist in this politically charged environment.