Hegseth Claims IRS Targeted Him With Audit, Calls It A ‘Sham’
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has accused the Biden administration’s IRS of politically motivated retaliation after receiving an audit notice demanding that he and his wife pay over $33,000 in unpaid taxes. Hegseth posted the letter on social media, calling the timing suspicious and saying the audit was rushed as Biden’s team prepared to leave office.
Of course the outgoing Biden IRS rushed an “audit” of the incoming SecDef. Total sham.
The party of “norms” and “decency” strikes again. We will never back down. pic.twitter.com/coW1UpFPrD
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) February 17, 2025
The IRS has not publicly [addressed] the situation, and Hegseth has not [denied] the validity of the audit. While tax returns for cabinet nominees often [undergo] scrutiny during the confirmation process, the timing of this audit has led to accusations of partisan targeting.
JUST IN:
The Biden regime's IRS rushed to audit Pete and Jennifer Hegseth.
We need the DOJ to investigate who called the shots on this! https://t.co/vbU9MW9Jr5
— Breanna Morello (@BreannaMorello) February 17, 2025
Hegseth’s history with tax filings was [brought up] during his confirmation hearings, particularly concerning his financial activities with veterans’ groups. Similar tax-related issues have [affected] other nominees in the past, such as former Sen. Tom Daschle, who [withdrew] from consideration for Health and Human Services secretary in 2009 after it was revealed he owed more than $140,000 in back taxes.
This is not the first time the IRS has been [accused] of targeting political figures. Conservative groups were [singled out] for extra scrutiny under the Obama administration, and investigative journalist Matt Taibbi [received] a surprise IRS visit on the day he was set to testify before Congress about government censorship.
Hegseth’s appointment was [met] with resistance, with critics [citing] his lack of government experience and resurfacing past allegations. He was ultimately [confirmed] in a narrow 51-50 vote and has since [worked] alongside President Trump to reshape the Pentagon’s leadership.
Elon Musk [weighed in] on the audit, responding to Hegseth’s post with, “They love the low blows,” signaling that DOGE may be looking into the matter.