Appointees from the Trump administration requested the IRS in March to look into an audit of Mike Lindell, who is closely connected to Trump’s circle. As reported by the Washington Post, two individuals familiar with the matter shared this information along with related documents.
A Treasury official named David Eisner sent an email last month to at least one IRS staff member, stating that Lindell “is concerned he was wrongly targeted.”
According to sources with knowledge of the situation, IRS officials instructed Eisner to address the worries by sending follow-up emails that could be submitted to the agency’s oversight body (TIGTA).
The New York Times revealed that Eisner referred to Lindell as “a notable friend of the president.”
“David Eisner is a committed public servant and acted suitably in the hopes that this would reach the inspector,” a Treasury spokesperson stated to Hill. “Distributing pertinent information to impartial inspectors is designed to serve as an effective and private means to ensure fair treatment for all Americans.”
Oka sought comments from the IRS and TIGTA.
In a conversation with The Times and Post, Lindell mentioned that the Treasury Department misconstrued his requests and reached out to resolve disputes concerning employee retention credits. He indicated to the Post that he and the IRS disagree on which year his company should apply the credit.
Lindell explained that the IRS connected him with the Treasury Department after he made initial contact, as per the Post’s report.
Lindell also mentioned other inquiries he relayed to the news outlet that were connected to timing. He contests the IRS’s position on the appropriate year for amortizing expenses related to drugs that purported to treat Covid during the pandemic.
“They want me to claim that deduction in 2022, but,” Lindell noted to the Post, “this is yet another issue I don’t wish to face.”
Observers have raised alarms about the potential for Trump administration officials to utilize the IRS for the benefit of their allies or to target political rivals.
The Trump administration demanded that the IRS revoke Harvard’s tax-exempt status amid ongoing tensions between the president and Ivy League institutions.
This directive followed Trump’s suggestion of removing Harvard’s tax-free status in a post on his social media platform, stating, “If Harvard loses its tax-exempt status and continues to support political, ideological, and terrorist inspiration/support as ‘disease,’ it should be taxed as a political entity.”
Updated at 10:42pm ET.
