IRS political intimidation of journalist Matt Taibbi ‘a direct attack on the First Amendment rights of all citizens’

March 29, 2023, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government president Richard Manning comments on the IRS making a visit to Twitter files journalist Matt Taibbi’s home on March 9th, the day he testified before Congress on the weaponization of social media platforms:

“The attempts at political intimidation by the Biden administration continues to astound in its brazenness.  Twitter Files journalist Matt Taibbi found himself looking at one of the most direct weapons in the federal government’s war chest when an IRS agent showed up at this home unannounced the very day he testified to the House Judiciary Committee about social media platform weaponization.

“While the IRS abuses of the early 2010s seemed to be in the rearview mirror, this visit by the IRS shows that the agency is not chastened at all due to Congress’ admonitions and civil court settlements over its previous abuses.  After all, the Pelosi-Schumer Congress rewarded the IRS with 87000 new armed employees and they have to do something. Visiting citizens who have the audacity to exercise their first amendments rights of speech, the press, and to petition Congress seems like a logical action by an administration that aggressively sought to compel social media platforms to censor their political adversaries in a direct attack on the First Amendment rights of all citizens.

“It is clear that the Biden administration is no longer even trying to hide their gross abuses of power. The partisan American intelligence apparatus is clearly emboldened by the lack of any accountability for their conducting a three year partisan Russian collusion witch hunt designed to take down a president of the United States. The minute the perpetrators of the Russian collusion lie faced no consequences, opened the door for other abuses and intimidation.

“It is time for Congress to say enough is enough. When the House votes on the IRS budget, the 87000 new positions created should be eliminated immediately, and the FBI’s planned new building should be scrapped.  The Taibbi incident should be the last straw for members of Congress on both sides of the aisle who wish to restore the concept of ‘equal justice under the law.’ Congress must hit these rogue agencies in the wallet to send a message that continued abuses will not be tolerated.”

For media availability contact Americans for Limited Government at media@limitgov.org.

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