Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, has decided to call Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel to account after the IRS sent federal agents to visit the home of investigative journalist Matt Taibbi, who has been one of the primary authors of the notorious “Twitter Files” that have revealed the depths of the censorship complex permeating the federal government and private companies.
On March 9th, the same day Taibbi appeared before the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, chaired by Rep. Jordan, federal agents arrived at his New Jersey residence. Taibbi informed Jordan that the IRS instructed him to call them four days later, and he was subsequently told that his 2018 and 2021 tax filings were requested due to “concerns over identity theft.” Despite no issues being registered with his 2018 return, Taibbi’s initial 2021 return was rejected twice, even though his accountant used an IRS-provided pin number. Taibbi insists that the issue is not monetary and that the federal agency actually owes him a considerable sum.
During the Subcommittee hearing, U.S. Virgin Islands delegate Stacey Plaskett (D) denounced Taibbi as a threat, calling him a “so-called journalist” and claiming there was no real evidence in the Twitter Files showing coordination between the federal government and the social-media platform. Taibbi countered by citing his journalism accolades and best-selling books.
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) also questioned Taibbi’s objectivity, accusing him of promoting slanted viewpoints or right-wing conspiracy theories. Taibbi informed the National Review about the unannounced IRS home visit following these remarks.
According to Taibbi, the IRS is now saying there’s no problem. However, the IRS did not respond to the National Review’s request for comment.
Before testifying, Taibbi released a new installment of the Twitter Files, revealing that Twitter had established a “Censorship-Industrial Complex.” Agencies like the FBI and DHS, as well as NGOs like the Atlantic Council and National Endowment for Democracy, regularly consulted with Twitter in an effort to censor or downplay posts they found objectionable. Taibbi’s obtained communications show that Twitter even censored information it accepted as true if it had the potential to induce “vaccine hesitancy” among readers.
As Rep. Jordan seeks answers from the Treasury and the IRS, we are left wondering if the unannounced visit to Taibbi’s home was a mere coincidence or an intimidation tactic. My money is on the latter.
