Earlier this month, journalist Matt Taibbi appeared before congress where he testified about the Twitter Files. Taibbi’s statement to congress included a summary of what he saw as the thrust of what he has learned from his investigation (along with help from Michael Shellenberger and Bari Weiss).

The original promise of the Internet was that it might democratize the exchange of information globally. A free internet would overwhelm all attempts to control information flow, its very existence a threat to anti-democratic forms of government everywhere.

What we found in the Files was a sweeping effort to reverse that promise, and use machine learning and other tools to turn the internet into an instrument of censorship and social control. Unfortunately, our own government appears to be playing a lead role.

A fairly amazing coincidence happened the day that Taibbi was giving testimony about the federal government’s leading role in social control. On that day, March 9, an IRS agent made a visit to Taibbi’s home.

Mr. Taibbi has told Mr. Jordan’s committee that an IRS agent showed up at his personal residence in New Jersey on March 9. That happens to be the same day Mr. Taibbi testified before the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government about what he learned about Twitter. The taxman left a note instructing Mr. Taibbi to call the IRS four days later. Mr. Taibbi was told in a call with the agent that both his 2018 and 2021 tax returns had been rejected owing to concerns over identity theft.

Mr. Taibbi has provided the committee with documentation showing his 2018 return had been electronically accepted, and he says the IRS never notified him or his accountants of a problem after he filed that 2018 return more than four-and-a-half years ago.

There was a problem with Taibbi’s 2021 tax return which caused it to be rejected and then rejected again. But Taibbi says this isn’t about what he owes because in fact the IRS owes him a “considerable” amount of money. What’s unusual about this is the house call.

The bigger question is when did the IRS start to dispatch agents for surprise house calls? Typically when the IRS challenges some part of a tax return, it sends a dunning letter. Or it might seek more information from the taxpayer or tax preparer. If the IRS wants to audit a return, it schedules a meeting at the agent’s office. It doesn’t drop by unannounced.

That really does seem odd. I’ve never heard of the IRS making a surprise visit to anyone, though I guess it’s possible there was some miscommunication. Still, the timing of the visit feels odd. All the IRS had to do was Google his name that day and they’d have known he wasn’t in New Jersey.

Jim Jordan sent a letter to the IRS Commissioner and the Treasury Secretary asking for an explanation. Taibbi tweeted yesterday that he doesn’t want to talk about it, at least not until he sees the response to the letter.

For those asking, I don’t want to comment on the IRS issue pending an answer to chairman @Jim_Jordan’s letter. I’m not worried for myself, but I did feel the Committee should be aware of the situation.

— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) March 28, 2023

One thing I’ve learned from previous IRS scandals is that they always have an answer. So I’m sure we’ll be hearing what that is maybe next week. Until then it’s just an odd coincidence that they decided to make a house call on the same day Taibbi was testifying before congress about the federal government’s efforts at social control. That’s probably all it is, a weird coincidence, but it does give you the chills thinking about it.