National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications, John Kirby, was recently asked by reporters at the White House about an incident involving veteran journalist Matt Taibbi. On the day that Taibbi testified about the weaponization of government on Capitol Hill, an IRS agent showed up unannounced at his home.
According to Townhall, Kirby was asked if the White House was concerned about the incident and the possible intimidation of Taibbi, given President Joe Biden’s remarks earlier in the day about the need to protect the press from persecution. However, Kirby refused to answer the question.
The incident has raised concerns, and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan has sent a letter to IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, demanding answers and documentation about the incident. Jordan’s letter stated that Taibbi, an independent journalist who has reported extensively on government abuse, was visited by an IRS agent during a hearing of the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government. Jordan expressed concern that the IRS’s action could be interpreted as an attempt to intimidate a witness before Congress.
