Comment Top lawmakers are preparing to privately question IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig in the coming days over reports that the tax agency may have targeted two of President Donald Trump’s political foes with widespread and rare audits. The moves by key Capitol tax committees — the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee — come amid growing concerns that the IRS improperly subpoenaed James B. Comey, the former FBI director, and Andrew McCabe , his top congressman, under unusual scrutiny after leading investigations into Trump and his 2016 campaign. The two bipartisan meetings are to be held behind closed doors, according to two people familiar with the matter, who confirmed the meetings on condition of anonymity given the legal sensitivity. The secrecy is necessary because the IRS is restricted by law from publicly disclosing information about specific taxpayers, the sources said. The House plans to convene this week, while the Senate is expected to question Rettig in the coming weeks. The IRS said in a statement that Rettig “always welcomes the opportunity to meet with members on tax issues and regularly highlights areas of potential concern to key leaders of congressional oversight committees.” IRS chief faces questions about audits of Trump’s enemies The leaders of the two committees — Rep. Richard E. Neal (D-Mass.) and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) — had previously called on the inspector general who oversees the IRS to open his own investigation. Rettig referred the matter to his agency supervisor, while his representatives maintained that the IRS commissioner was not aware of any political interference and had no conversation about it with Trump, who first appointed him to the post in 2018. “He is committed to running the IRS in an unbiased, impartial manner from top to bottom,” IRS spokeswoman Jodie Reynolds said last week. Wyden, meanwhile, said in an interview this weekend that his panel “will have our own investigation,” adding, “We’re going to do whatever it takes to get to the bottom of this.” “These are matters of great concern and this is part of our core oversight function.” In a letter last week, Neal described the allegations as “troubling,” urging the IRS watchdog — the Treasury Department’s Inspector General for Tax Administration, known as TIGTA — to determine whether Rettig or other top staff knew beforehand that the agency had subjected Comey and McCabe to extensive tax audits. These checks, carried out under an initiative known as the National Research Programme, are painstaking and rare. About 15,000 taxpayers are randomly selected for review each year, which left some lawmakers and former IRS officials puzzled to learn that Comey and McCabe were selected from among millions of Americans within a few years of each other. By firing his enemies, Trump made their taxes more interesting to the IRS In recent days, Comey has questioned the possibility of political motivation given his role in the Trump investigation, his 2016 campaign and allegations that the president obstructed justice. “Maybe it’s a coincidence or maybe someone misused the tax office to take on a political enemy. Given the role Trump wants to continue to play in our country, we should know the answer to that question,” he said in an earlier statement. Trump had regularly attacked the former FBI director and his top deputy, McCabe, although the former president claimed he “doesn’t know that.” In a statement, however, Trump pointed to an earlier report by a Justice Department inspector general that criticized the two men. The developments have increased pressure on Rettig, whose term is due to expire later this year. Some Democrats have called for him to resign in recent days. For its part, the White House has repeatedly declined to say whether Biden would reappoint Retting — or even whether the president has confidence in the IRS commissioner. “I will say he will be up in November,” White House press secretary Karin Jean-Pierre told reporters last week. “He is a commissioner. … He’s the IRS commissioner, part of the administration. So we’ll — I’ll leave it at that.” Congress seeks IRS probe amid suspicions audits targeted Trump enemies
