Former FBI Director James Comey and former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe were subjected to rare and severe actions. IRS audits Both provided their 2017 and 2019 returns, respectively, according to letters from the IRS The New York Times.
Comey was informed of the audit in 2019, while McCabe learned in 2021, the Times reported.
McCabe took the reins of the FBI in 2017 in the tumultuous days after then-President Donald Trump abruptly fired Comey, who himself was fired the following year. Comey’s firing led to the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller to lead the government’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Trump has relentlessly attacked both men in the Russia investigation and has publicly called for both to be prosecuted.
“Your federal income tax return for the year shown above was randomly selected for compliance examination,” according to copies of the letters published by the Times, according to IRS letters to the men and their spouses. “We need to examine randomly selected tax returns to better understand tax compliance and improve the fairness of the tax system. We will give you an opportunity to explain any errors we may find during the examination.
The letters say Comey audited the 2017 return and McCabe’s 2019 return.
Generally, returns filed within the past three years can be included in an audit on the IRS website In the states.
Comey did not immediately respond to an NBC News request for comment, but he addressed the censorship in a statement to the Times. “I don’t know if anything was wrong, but after knowing how unusual this audit was and how badly Trump wanted to hurt me at the time, it made sense to try to find out,” he said. “Perhaps it was a coincidence or someone misused the IRS to get a political opponent. As for the role Trump wants to continue to play in our country, we need to know the answer to that question.
Charles Reddick, a Trump appointee, has headed the IRS since 2018.
An audit found Comey and his wife overpaid in 2017. According to the Times, they received a $347 refund.
McCabe did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment, but told the Times that his audit results showed he and his wife were owed a small sum of money paid by the couple.
“The revenue agent I dealt with was professional and responsive,” McCabe said. “However, I have significant questions about how or why I was chosen for this.”
For all returns filed for tax years 2011 through 2019, the IRS examined 0.55 percent of personal income, the agency said in its report. Data book Released in September.
An IRS spokeswoman cited federal privacy laws for comment, saying they prevent the agency from discussing specific taxpayer situations.
“Audits are handled by professional civilian employees, and the IRS has strong safeguards to protect the examination process — and against politically motivated audits. To suggest that senior IRS officials somehow targeted specific individuals for National Research Program audits is ludicrous and false,” spokeswoman Jody Reynolds wrote in an email to NBC News. “We cannot comment on specific circumstances. Whenever allegations of wrongdoing are raised in a tax matter, we routinely contact the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration for further review.
A spokeswoman for Trump did not return an NBC News request for comment. The Times reported that a Trump spokeswoman said the former president had “no knowledge” of the audits.
Comey was there Suddenly deleted In 2017, his agency was investigating whether individuals involved in Trump’s presidential campaign had undisclosed ties to Russia. McCabe became acting director after Comey’s firing. Only to be stopped Eligible for full pension benefits after a few months.
Trump often derided them and others for their investigation into election meddling and obstruction of justice in the 2016 presidential election. Trump blamed both Comey and McCabe Treason And FBI and Justice Department officials said they launched the Russia investigation to hurt him politically.
An internal judiciary Monitoring report It later emerged that the Russia investigation stemmed from evidence that Moscow was using cutouts to reach the Trump campaign as part of efforts to influence the election.
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