IRS Makes a Strange House Call on Matt Taibbi

[Valcazar]

I did not know who Taibibi was before the whole Twitter files thingy. Is he THAT important?

No.
He got some fame in the late 2000s because he did some good writing about Goldman Sachs and how fucked up the financial system is.

Before that, he had run a paper in Russia as an ex-pat and also did some good writing on corruption while also being super into the fact that as an ex-pat with decent money he had access to lots of drugs and desperate women he could pressure into sex.

He kinda wanted to be this generation's Hunter S Thompson.

He got pushback for being a misogynistic ass during the height of MeToo and decided the best way to move forward was to go anti-wokeness culture warrior and so he did the "I got canceled and now I can work less and make more money" thing and has been slowly destroying the last shreds of his credibility over the last 5 or 6 years.

Maybe he didnt pay his taxes.

Also is he that big a critic of the Ukraine assitance?

He is.
One of those "this is all the West's fault" people from the beginning.

He literally spent the entire run up to the invasion talking about how the whole idea Russia would invade was an obvious lie and Biden was just trying to justify war and no one who had any brains thought Russia would ever invade. The whole thing was a hoax.
Etc.

Unlike some of the idiots saying shit like that, he actually apologized and admitted he got the whole thing completely wrong, so he gets some credit back.

 

[WyattEarp]

No.
He got some fame in the late 2000s because he did some good writing about Goldman Sachs and how fucked up the financial system is.

Before that, he had run a paper in Russia as an ex-pat and also did some good writing on corruption while also being super into the fact that as an ex-pat with decent money he had access to lots of drugs and desperate women he could pressure into sex.

He kinda wanted to be this generation's Hunter S Thompson.

He got pushback for being a misogynistic ass during the height of MeToo and decided the best way to move forward was to go anti-wokeness culture warrior and so he did the "I got canceled and now I can work less and make more money" thing and has been slowly destroying the last shreds of his credibility over the last 5 or 6 years.

He is.
One of those "this is all the West's fault" people from the beginning.

He literally spent the entire run up to the invasion talking about how the whole idea Russia would invade was an obvious lie and Biden was just trying to justify war and no one who had any brains thought Russia would ever invade. The whole thing was a hoax.
Etc.

Unlike some of the idiots saying shit like that, he actually apologized and admitted he got the whole thing completely wrong, so he gets some credit back.

That's all good opinion on your part, but it doesn't necessarily condone the IRS showing up at his house.

 

[krealtarron]

That's all good opinion, but it doesn't necessarily condone the IRS showing up at his house.

Or the fact that the west is primarily responsible for the war. But that is unrelated to this topic.

 

[WyattEarp]

I don't think it is.
It isn't the most common, but they do contact people directly by showing up.

How to know it's the IRS | Internal Revenue Service

Know the difference between impersonators and the IRS to protect yourself from scams.

www.irs.gov

Can you find me something saying it would be a major breach of protocol other than Taibbi wanting to sound important?

Per the IRS web page you posted: "Even then, taxpayers will generally first receive several letters (called "notices") from the IRS in the mail." They send notices to have a phone conversation or an IRS office visit. That's also ignoring the suspicious timing of the IRS visit.

Because I have no reason to think anything inappropriate here has actually happened.
One - Taibbi may just be lying about the incident.

One might not like his reporting angle on politics and government, but I don't think he's the kind of a reporter who would make up something like that. It's also a fairly black and white event. The IRS showed up at his house or did not. At this juncture, the IRS did not deny it. I don't think the IRS has the sworn FBI code where they can't discuss whether there is some kind of ongoing case.

 

[krealtarron]

He is.
One of those "this is all the West's fault" people from the beginning.

He literally spent the entire run up to the invasion talking about how the whole idea Russia would invade was an obvious lie and Biden was just trying to justify war and no one who had any brains thought Russia would ever invade. The whole thing was a hoax.
Etc.

Unlike some of the idiots saying shit like that, he actually apologized and admitted he got the whole thing completely wrong, so he gets some credit back.

 

[Valcazar]

Per the IRS web page you posted: "Even then, taxpayers will generally first receive several letters (called "notices") from the IRS in the mail." They send notices to have a phone conversation or an IRS office visit. That's also ignoring the suspicious timing of the IRS visit.

It's tax season - nothing suspicious about the timing.

And "generally" neither means "always" nor does it mean Taibbi didn't get such letters or notices and is conveniently leaving them out of his story.

One might not like his reporting angle on politics and government, but I don't think he's the kind of a reporter who would make up something like that.

We disagree on that.

It's also a fairly black and white event. The IRS showed up at his house or did not. At this juncture, the IRS did not deny it. I don't think the IRS has the sworn FBI code where they can't discuss whether there is some kind of ongoing case.

The IRS probably doesn't comment on every bullshit thing people say about them, actually.

But look - he seems to have gotten some GOP people in Congress to talk about it on the TV.
I'm pretty sure they can verify it if they really try.

I suspect the story has a lot more value as a sinister, unsubstantiated rumour, though.

But if it is true, you and I both know absolutely nothing will change.
The IRS will say "yes, we sent someone because there was an issue with his taxes" and Taibbi and the GOP will just insist it is all actually secretly sinister anyway.

We've seen this play run before.

 

[Valcazar]

Back to Mearshimer?
Whatever.

But give some credit to Mearshimer here - I don't think he ever said that "No, Russia isn't going to invade Ukraine. That's just bullshit the US is making up," like Taibbi did.

Mearshimer has been saying that it was inevitable Russia would invade Ukraine for like 10 years now.
I may not like his IR theory, but he hasn't just said that the very idea Russia would ever do that is a lie.

 

[krealtarron]

Back to Mearshimer?
Whatever.

But give some credit to Mearshimer here - I don't think he ever said that "No, Russia isn't going to invade Ukraine. That's just bullshit the US is making up," like Taibbi did.

Mearshimer has been saying that it was inevitable Russia would invade Ukraine for like 10 years now.
I may not like his IR theory, but he hasn't just said that the very idea Russia would ever do that is a lie.

After Georgia 2008, Russia was always going to invade.

 

[WyattEarp]

The IRS will say "yes, we sent someone because there was an issue with his taxes" and Taibbi and the GOP will just insist it is all actually secretly sinister anyway.

I'm sorry but I'm kind of snickering. I've been the subject of IRS audits and IRS interaction doesn't go down this way. I have a feeling you figure that the argument (paraphrasing) "the IRS must have had a good reason" is a solid one and can pass muster with Canadians. Or it's "tax season" to explain the timing? Tax season is when all of us report our annual tax returns. IRS enforcement and other activities occurs year-round.

As I said, one or two IRS bureaucrats could have stupidly thought they could pay Taibbi a home visit. Now if the IRS does not deny the visit and there is no disciplinary action, it could be a more wider breach of protocol.

 

[mandrill]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1641231337360113664

How about taking care of things at home.....

Okay. Tell the GOP to stop slashing taxes on their multi billionaire donors and fund poverty relief programs and to get behing Obamacare and expand it.

Let's start small and build up.

 

[mandrill]

I'm sorry but I'm kind of snickering. I've been the subject of IRS audits and IRS interaction doesn't go down this way. I have a feeling you figure that the argument (paraphrasing) "the IRS must have had a good reason" is a solid one and can pass muster with Canadians. Or it's "tax season" to explain the timing? Tax season is when all of us report our annual tax returns. IRS enforcement and other activities occurs year-round.
As I said, one or two IRS bureaucrats could have stupidly thought they could pay Taibbi a home visit. Now if the IRS does not deny the visit and there is no disciplinary action, it could be a more wider breach of protocol.

I'm not sure there's "protocol" as to how an audit is done. And I agree with Valc that Taibbi isn't nearly important enough to be worth the effort, not would the effort be so ham-handed and overt. IMO, something else is happening there and Taibbi isn't being - shock!!! - quite candid.

 

[jcpro]

I'm not sure there's "protocol" as to how an audit is done. And I agree with Valc that Taibbi isn't nearly important enough to be worth the effort, not would the effort be so ham-handed and overt. IMO, something else is happening there and Taibbi isn't being - shock!!! - quite candid.

ROTFLMFAO!!! Seriously, you got to wean yourself off MSNBC. Maybe you'll hear about the Twitter Files and other scandals Taibbi exposed.

 

[mandrill]

ROTFLMFAO!!! Seriously, you got to wean yourself off MSNBC. Maybe you'll hear about the Twitter Files and other scandals Taibbi exposed.

I know about those "scandals".

I just don't think anyone gives enough of a shit about them - outside this month's Fox presentations - to make any effort to interfere with a 2-bit player like Taibbi.

It's like getting a FBI task force to hunt down The QAnon Shaman for petty probation violations. Who gives that much of a shit?!

 

[Valcazar]

ROTFLMFAO!!! Seriously, you got to wean yourself off MSNBC. Maybe you'll hear about the Twitter Files and other scandals Taibbi exposed.

That's exactly it.
The "Twitter Files" was such a face plant that no one would ever consider Taibbi a threat.

 

[WyattEarp]

I'm not sure there's "protocol" as to how an audit is done. And I agree with Valc that Taibbi isn't nearly important enough to be worth the effort, not would the effort be so ham-handed and overt. IMO, something else is happening there and Taibbi isn't being - shock!!! - quite candid.

There's a long history of the IRS being used to intimidate political opponents. So I think we can say we are not dealing with the highest integrity institution. I am also careful not to presume the Biden White House instructed the IRS to pay Matt Taibbi a visit.

I know you probably don't like cynical political analysis directed at a progressive administration, but try this. You're a low level IRS agent who is a Democrat. The Biden Administration just allocated $80 billion of additional funding to your agency. There will be new hires, promotions and perhaps higher salary levels for the current rank and file. You say to yourself "Hey, they're going after my man Joe and his son Hunter". You see Matt Taibbi is caught up in this shitshow and he's not on the side of the Bidens. You think "I got some of Taibbi's files on my desk. Let's pay the man a visit."

 

[jcpro]

That's exactly it.
The "Twitter Files" was such a face plant that no one would ever consider Taibbi a threat.

Sure, to those who embrace fascism.

 

[Butler1000]

He is bought media, though.
Especially now as Musk's stenographer.

He hasn't been relevant since the mid-2010s and really dropped off completely once he found he could get paid well doing the grievance market via substack.
He's barely better than Greenwald these days.

There's a long history of the IRS being used to intimidate political opponents. So I think we can say we are not dealing with the highest integrity institution. I am also careful not to presume the Biden White House instructed the IRS to pay Matt Taibbi a visit.

I know you probably don't like cynical political analysis directed at a progressive administration, but try this. You're a low level IRS agent who is a Democrat. The Biden Administration just allocated $80 billion of additional funding to your agency. There will be new hires, promotions and perhaps higher salary levels for the current rank and file. You say to yourself "Hey, they're going after my man Joe and his son Hunter". You see Matt Taibbi is caught up in this shitshow and he's not on the side of the Bidens. You think "I got some of Taibbi's files on my desk. Let's pay the man a visit."

Add phone calls from other Democrats, whether elected or appointed. There are lots of "yes" men in the government offices happy to oblige.

 

[WyattEarp]

Sure, to those who embrace fascism.

It all conjures a lot of emotions with liberals. It distracts from the central tenet that Trump is a threat to democracy.

Others who have a deeper Marxist, anti-American vein running through them, view democracy and freedom of speech as simply a means to an end.

 

[WyattEarp]

He is bought media, though.
Especially now as Musk's stenographer.

He hasn't been relevant since the mid-2010s and really dropped off completely once he found he could get paid well doing the grievance market via substack.
He's barely better than Greenwald these days.

Are you telling me journalists are paid and rewarded by their employer? I'm shocked.

 

[mandrill]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1641199719962783744