John,
Trump is moving to turn the Internal Revenue Service into an instrument of political retaliation. His administration is working to install loyalists inside the agency’s criminal division with orders to investigate and cripple progressive organizations while leaving his billionaire donors untouched.
Former IRS agent Gary Shapley is leading an internal overhaul designed to give Trump allies control over criminal investigations.[1] The target list reportedly includes major Democratic donors, progressive nonprofits, and organizations connected to George Soros’s Open Society Foundations. This has nothing to do with tax enforcement. It’s a blueprint for political persecution.
At the same time, Trump’s Treasury leadership is seeking to weaken the role of IRS lawyers who traditionally serve as a safeguard against unlawful investigations.[2] That means fewer checks on politically motivated prosecutions, fewer protections for free speech, and fewer barriers between raw executive power and ordinary citizens.
The law is clear that the president or anyone in the White House cannot direct IRS audits.[3] Every day this plan advances, those safeguards erode further. Congress must open an investigation, demand testimony, and stop the misuse of federal power before it becomes permanent.
Tell Congress to stop Trump’s weaponization of the IRS and defend impartial tax enforcement.
History offers a warning. Richard Nixon’s attempt to use the IRS against his opponents was a basis of his impeachment proceedings. Trump’s plan goes even further, combining political vengeance with a deliberate effort to shield the wealthy from accountability. The goal is absolute control so he can punish dissent, protect donors, and hollow out the rule of law.
Americans for Tax Fairness Action Fund will fight this power grab in Congress and in every public forum available. The IRS must enforce the law fairly and independently, not serve the political agenda of any president.
Demand that Congress stop Trump’s weaponization of the IRS and restore accountability.
Thank you for standing with us in this fight for accountability and fairness. We will not allow Trump or any administration to turn the IRS into a weapon for political power.
David Kass
Executive Director
Americans for Tax Fairness Action Fund
[1] WSJ: Trump Admin to Overhaul IRS to Pursue Left-Leaning Groups and Major Democratic Donors
[2] Trump Reportedly Wants To Use IRS To Go After Democrats—Here’s How He Could Do It
[3] 26 U.S. Code § 7217 - Prohibition on executive branch influence over taxpayer audits and other investigations
