IRS Audit of Left-Wing Groups Under Trump Administration
Reports suggest that the Trump administration is initiating a significant IRS audit targeting left-leaning organizations for potentially misusing their tax-exempt status. This move, if accurate, isn’t portrayed as a simple partisan attack or a response to prior IRS actions against conservative groups. Rather, it seems to be an attempt to curb the problematic use of tax-exempt status by Democrats to fund politically aligned entities rather than genuinely charitable ones.
Gary Shapley is set to lead this week’s review, although it’s worth mentioning that he is not merely an adviser to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent; Shapley is also a notable whistleblower who revealed the IRS’s efforts to shield Hunter Biden from scrutiny. His prior actions against IRS leadership were nonpartisan, reflecting a broader concern about the agency’s targeting practices.
The IRS’s history of focusing on conservative groups has drawn considerable criticism. Back in 2013, it came to light that employees, including Lois Lerner, had improperly flagged conservative nonprofits, hindering their applications for status and perhaps even affecting election outcomes. At the same time, the IRS seemed to overlook clear violations by groups such as Media Matters, which is funded by George Soros and classified as a tax-exempt charity, despite its overtly political agenda.
This uneven treatment raises fundamental questions about fairness. Conservative organizations often faced scrutiny just for using terms like “patriot” in their names, while left-leaning groups operated without similar consequences.
In my upcoming book, I suggested that the President should indeed order an investigation of this nature, an initiative that seems in line with Shapley’s current undertaking. The goal would be to scrutinize left-wing nonprofits that, despite being recognized as charities under the tax code, engage primarily in political fundraising.
Some critics have dismissed the idea of these investigations as mere political revenge, reminiscent of past probes targeting officials who acted against Trump and his supporters. However, it’s crucial to understand that this isn’t about partisanship; it’s about seeking accountability for the misuse of power.
Let’s not forget how then-Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid justified his actions against Mitt Romney. He defended his deceptive claims about Romney’s tax payments by arguing that Romney’s defeat was a validation of those lies.
The previous administration seemed to shield IRS officials who had misused their position to aid Democratic successes from any repercussions. If there’s ever a hope for restoring trust in the principle of the rule of law, both the IRS and various other entities need to be held publicly accountable.
