IRS weaponization: a bipartisan tradition, not a Trump innovation.
Oh, the horror! A politician wants to use a federal agency against political opponents. As if the IRS hasn't long been a convenient bludgeon. Let's not forget how, under former President Obama's administration, the IRS admitted to scrutinizing conservative groups based on names like 'Tea Party,' as documented by a 2013 Treasury Inspector General report. Or how, during the Nixon years, the IRS was
overtly used to target 'enemies'—a playbook now being dusted off, apparently. The media acts surprised, painting this as a uniquely Trumpian descent into authoritarianism. One might wonder if their outrage is selective, dependent on whose ox is being gored. It appears that the principle of avoiding politicized federal agencies only truly matters when the targeting leans a certain way. This isn't a
new threat; it's a re-run with a different cast of characters.