By John Hart, Open the Books CEO | Published at Washington Examiner
The Department of Government Efficiency’s interest in auditing the IRS should be welcome news. The agency is not above scrutiny; it deserves an audit, just like the ones it pushes on taxpayers. What they may not know about the IRS, however, is that it is heavily and inappropriately armed. DOGE is mandated not just to audit but to disarm an agency that has been figuratively and literally weaponized.
My organization, Open the Books, found the IRS has spent more than $35 million on guns, ammunition, and military-style weaponry since 2006. That sped up after 2020, as the agency spent $10 million over just three years on purchases, including $2.5 million on ballistic shields and related tactical gear, more than $500,000 on ballistic helmets and body armor, and nearly $1 million on Smith & Wesson rifles and Berretta tactical shotguns.
READ THE FULL STORY