Democrats Launch Inquiry into Weaponization of IRS

Washington, D.C.— Today, Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Ranking Member of the House Ways & Means Health Subcommittee, and Rep. Terri Sewell (D-AL), Ranking Member of the Ways & Means Oversight Subcommittee, led most Ways and Means Committee Democrats in demanding immediate answers from IRS Chief Executive Officer Frank Bisignano on reports that the IRS has compiled a list of Democratic donors and “left-leaning” nonprofit organizations, and is moving to label these groups as domestic terrorists. 

“Straight out of the authoritarian playbook, Trump is using every lever of government to punish his political enemies and intimidate any potential critic into silence. That’s why he is apparently weaponizing the IRS against dissenting nonprofits and donors,” said Rep. Doggett. “Just as freedom-loving, committed citizens rejected this playbook in Hungary with Viktor Orban’s decisive defeat this week, Ways & Means Democrats are forcefully pushing back against Trump’s abuse. Frank Bisignano must maintain his commitment to our Committee that he will not initiate audits, investigations, or revocations of tax-exempt status based on political targeting.” 

“As Members of Congress with oversight power over the IRS, Ways and Means Democrats will not stand by as Donald Trump tries to weaponize the IRS against his political opponents,” said Oversight Subcommittee Ranking Member Terri A. Sewell. “The IRS must act as a nonpartisan enforcer of the tax code, and the American people deserve to know if current IRS leadership is willing to prioritize serving U.S. taxpayers over Donald Trump and stand up against the President’s obsessive mission to intimidate any organization that opposes his far-right agenda.”

“Weaponizing the tax code against the President’s opponents is an abuse of power that no President—Republican or Democrat—should be allowed to get away with,” said Cole Leiter, Executive Director, Americans Against Government Censorship, “Rather than make sure the IRS is helping everyday Americans file correctly and on time, or even enforcing the tax code to pursue tax cheats and criminals, this Administration has dedicated time and effort to harassing groups that disagree with the President and stand in the way of him implementing his agenda. It is essential that the IRS remain a non-partisan enforcer of our tax laws, and it is essential for Mr. Bisignano to tell the American people how he plans to ensure all Americans are treated fairly.”

Rep. Doggett and Rep. Sewell’s full letter can be found here and below.

The Honorable Frank Bisignano

Chief Executive Officer

Internal Revenue Service

1111 Constitution Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20224

Dear Mr. Bisignano:

We write today because we are gravely concerned that the Administration has weaponized the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) by targeting tax-exempt organizations and their donors based on their political beliefs and constitutionally protected advocacy. We have said time and time again that the IRS must do its work impartially and without political bias. Taxpayers should not be targeted based on their political beliefs. The President’s use of the IRS to target any particular taxpayer is both unlawful and unacceptable. Therefore, we are deeply troubled that not only has the IRS compiled a list of Democratic donors and “left-leaning” nonprofit organizations, but that the Administration is moving to label these groups as domestic terrorists.

In October 2025, we wrote to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA)^[1] requesting an investigation after it was reported that the Administration was encouraging the IRS to facilitate criminal investigations targeting Democratic donors and “left-leaning” nonprofit groups, and that a senior IRS official had compiled a list of potential targets that included George Soros and his affiliated organizations.^[2] That report further indicated that the President had ordered Treasury Secretary Bessent, in his capacity as Acting IRS Commissioner, to refer certain tax-exempt organizations to the Department of Justice for further investigation. 

Most recently, reporting indicates that the IRS Criminal Investigation division has partnered with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to investigate nonprofit organizations over suspected links to “domestic terrorism.”^[3] In a December 4, 2025 memo, the Attorney General defined “domestic terrorism” in part by reference to politically protected speech — including what she termed “opposition to law and immigration enforcement; extreme views in favor of mass migration and open borders; adherence to radical gender ideology, anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, or anti-Christianity.”^[4] We do not support terrorism domestically or abroad, however, we believe these non-profit organizations are being targeted solely because they do not align with this Administration’s agenda.  

Earlier this year in testimony before the Ways and Means Committee you committed “100 percent” that under your leadership the IRS would not initiate audits, investigations, or revocations of tax-exempt status based on political targeting. As you know, Section 7217 of the Internal Revenue Code makes it a federal crime for covered political officials within the Executive Branch — including the President, Vice President, the Treasury Secretary, and any employee of the executive office of the President — to request, directly or indirectly, that the IRS audit, investigate, or pursue any particular taxpayer. A violation carries criminal penalties of up to five years imprisonment and a $5,000 fine. Additionally, Section 7217 requires IRS officers and employees to report any prohibited requests to TIGTA; failure to report is itself a separate crime.

Given the above, please provide written responses to the following questions by April 2029 2026:

1. Has the President requested — either directly or through his staff — that the IRS audit or investigate any particular taxpayer or category of taxpayers?
2. Has Secretary Bessent requested — either directly or through his staff — that the IRS audit or investigate any particular taxpayer or category of taxpayers?
3. Have any individuals considered “applicable persons” for the purposes of Section 7217 requested — either directly or through staff — that the IRS audit or investigate any particular taxpayer or category of taxpayers?
4. Who was involved in developing the list of investigative targets reported in the press?
   1. How many audits, prosecutions, or investigations have been requested in connection with the list? How many have been acted upon? How many have been rejected?
   2. Are taxpayers on the list being audited, prosecuted, or investigated in relation to alleged activities or tax issues that are not generally subject to such scrutiny?
   3. Who has been involved in pursuing audits, prosecutions, or investigations of taxpayers on the list?
   4. Does the list include organizations or individuals that have been publicly named as political opponents by the President, Vice President, Treasury Secretary, or other Administration officials?
5. Has the Department of Justice received any referrals connected to the list? Were these referrals initiated through normal IRS channels or through other means?
6. How many potentially improper requests have been reported to TIGTA? How many requests, if any, were not reported as required?
7. What specific concerns have career IRS employees raised about political interference in enforcement decisions? How many IRS employees have reported such concerns, and through what channels?
8. What internal controls has the IRS put in place to prevent and remedy potential political interference in tax administration?
9. What consequences have been imposed or contemplated for those who have made or carried out potentially improper requests for politically motivated investigations?
10. What steps is the IRS taking to prevent retaliation against officers and employees who decline to participate in or sign off on politically motivated investigations?
11. What steps is the IRS taking to protect the rights of whistleblowers who raise concerns about political interference in tax administration?
12. What have you done to ensure that the letter and spirit of Section 1203 of the IRS Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998 — under which the Commissioner “shall terminate” any IRS employee who violates a constitutional right or violates IRS policy for the purpose of retaliating against or harassing a taxpayer, taxpayer representative, or fellow employee — is being followed?
13. Has protected taxpayer information been disclosed to non-IRS employees, including Department of Justice, Treasury, or White House staff? If so:
    1. What statutory exception under Section 6103 authorized each such disclosure?
    2. For Department of Justice and Treasury employees invoking Section 6103(h)(1), what specific official duties required inspection or disclosure of the information, and how does each disclosure relate to tax administration purposes rather than politically motivated investigations?
14. Have the list(s) of investigative targets been shared with other federal agencies or with parties outside the federal government? If so, with whom have they been shared, under what authority, and for what purpose?
15. What steps are being taken to preserve all records related to potential political interference and potential violations of taxpayer privacy laws, including all records related to the list of investigative targets and any instructions given to IRS personnel regarding that list?
16. An IRS spokesperson has been quoted as saying “IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) is collaborating with federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, to investigate individuals and entities that may be funding domestic terrorism or political violence.”^[5]
    1. Who determined the targets of these investigations? Is IRS-CI investigating any taxpayers who were on the list of investigative targets? Do any of those being investigated include organizations or individuals that have been publicly named as political opponents by the President, Vice President, Treasury Secretary, or other Administration officials?
    2. Are those collaborative investigations exclusively matters of tax administration? If you consider the investigations to involve potential violations that do not fall under tax administration, please describe the basis on which federal tax information could be disclosed under Section 6103 for those purposes. Please describe the evidence that shows any disclosures followed your suggested basis.
    3. If you have assigned IRS-CI special agents and other employees to work at the FBI’s direction on matters that are not tax administration, has anyone in the Department of Treasury or the IRS disclosed any federal tax information to those investigations under any Section 6103 provision other than a court order entered under Section 6103(i)(1)? If so, for each disclosure please provide which exception to Section 6103’s prohibitions was used and what reasoning allowed for the disclosure.

We expect your full and prompt cooperation with this oversight request. The integrity of federal tax administration, and the constitutional rights of American taxpayers and civic organizations, depend on it. 

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