The IRS opened an investigation into journalist Matt Taibbi in 2022, immediately following his publishing of a Twitter Files report, according to a letter sent to the IRS on Wednesday by Republican Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, which was shared on Twitter by Taibbi.
Taibbi released his first edition of the Twitter Files on December 2 in which he revealed alleged misconduct between the social media giant and government agencies. Documents indicate the IRS began an investigation into Taibbi’s 2018 tax return on December 24, 2022, according to Jordan’s letter; the IRS did not reach out to Taibbi regarding the 2018 return until last Christmas Eve, three weeks after his first Twitter Files release.
“During the pandemic IRS revenue officers were not making field visits,” the IRS reportedly explained as their reason for hesitating for such a long time before opening the investigation. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Ron Johnson Calls On IRS To Explain Unannounced Visit To Journalist Matt Taibbi’s Home)
WASHINGTON, DC – MAY 18: U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) (2nd L) speaks as (L-R) Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (R-WI), Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R-ND), Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), and Rep. W. Gregory Steube (R-FL) listen during a news conference on “FBI whistleblower testimony” at the U.S. Capitol on May 18, 2023 in Washington, DC. The House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government is holding a hearing on “Weaponization of the Federal Government” today. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
On December 21,2022, the FBI characterized the Twitter Files as the work of “conspiracy theorists and others… feeding the American public misinformation with the sole purpose of attempting to discredit the agency,” in a statement provided to the New York Post.
Taibbi said Saturday, December 24, was one of the most frightening days of his life as he spent Christmas Eve by himself in a hotel room working on a Twitter Files Report titled: “Twitter and Other Government Agencies.”
Taibbi based that report on files the FBI-led Foreign Influence Task Force shared with Twitter revealing the social media company received a large volume of content recommendations from various federal agencies through the FBI.
The IRS assigned an agent to Taibbi’s case on Jan. 27 to initiate in-person contact, according to Jordan’s letter. The agent conducted a comprehensive investigation into Taibbi, including “information such as Mr. Taibbi’s voter registration records, whether he possessed a hunting or fishing license, whether he had a concealed weapons permit, and his telephone numbers,” according to Jordan’s letter.
Taibbi did not owe the IRS any money. “Rather, the IRS owed Mr. Taibbi a substantial refund,” Jordan wrote in the letter.
The IRS did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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