{"id":2403657,"date":"2025-02-18T10:01:59","date_gmt":"2025-02-18T15:01:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pete-hegseth-says-hes-been-targeted-by-total-sham-audit-from-last-vestiges-of-the-biden-admin\/"},"modified":"2025-02-18T10:03:29","modified_gmt":"2025-02-18T15:03:29","slug":"pete-hegseth-says-hes-been-targeted-by-total-sham-audit-from-last-vestiges-of-the-biden-admin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pete-hegseth-says-hes-been-targeted-by-total-sham-audit-from-last-vestiges-of-the-biden-admin\/","title":{"rendered":"Pete Hegseth Says He&#8217;s Been Targeted by &#8216;Total Sham&#8217; Audit from Last Vestiges of the Biden Admin"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">34<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fpete-hegseth-says-hes-been-targeted-by-total-sham-audit-from-last-vestiges-of-the-biden-admin%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2403657&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth accused the IRS of auditing him as he prepared to take on his new role, suggesting the \u2064audit was politically \u2063motivated by the Biden management. Hegseth shared a document indicating he owed over $33,000 in federal taxes and expressed outrage over what he perceived as a governmental attack on him, linking it to his association with former President Donald Trump. He referred to the audit as a &#8220;total \u2064sham&#8221; and criticized the\u200b Democrats for\u2062 what he termed &#8220;weaponized government&#8221; actions against \u200dpolitical opponents. His claims received support from various \u200dTrump \u2062allies who echoed sentiments of \u200dgovernment overreach \u200band political targeting. \u200dThe <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">piece \u2063recalls similar \u200bpast incidents<\/a> under the Obama administration, \u2062emphasizing a\u200c pattern of\u2062 alleged misuse of IRS resources for political purposes.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_1)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth alleged on Monday that the IRS under now-former President Joe Biden audited him as he prepared to lead the Pentagon.<\/p>\n<p>Hegseth d a picture on X of an IRS document saying the agency would be &ldquo;auditing your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bidens-income-dropped-substantially-amid-2020-bid-for-white-house-tax-returns-show\/\" title=\"Biden\u2019s Income Dropped Substantially Amid 2020 Bid For White House, Tax Returns Show\">federal income tax return<\/a>.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The agency appeared to have told Hegseth, &ldquo;[Y]ou owe a balance of $33,558.16.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/woke-general-gets-owned-us-armys-official-x-account-publicly-humiliated-illegal-dei-memo-goes-viral\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hegseth<\/a> was not pleased with the audit, contending that the enforcement action was linked to his role in the administration of President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Of course the outgoing Biden IRS rushed an &lsquo;audit&rsquo; of the incoming SecDef. Total sham,&rdquo; he wrote.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The party of &lsquo;norms&rsquo; and &lsquo;decency&rsquo; strikes again,&rdquo; Hegseth added. &ldquo;We will never back down.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Of course the outgoing Biden IRS rushed an &ldquo;audit&rdquo; of the incoming SecDef. Total sham.<\/p>\n<p>The party of &ldquo;norms&rdquo; and &ldquo;decency&rdquo; strikes again. We will never back down. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/coW1UpFPrD\">pic.twitter.com\/coW1UpFPrD<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PeteHegseth\/status\/1891562620466978839?\">February 17, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>  Other allies of Trump agreed with his assessment.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;They love the low blows,&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/trump-musk-allege-us-government-paid-mainstream-media-outlet-millions-large-scale-social-deception\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Elon Musk<\/a> reacted.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Nothing says &lsquo;democracy&rsquo; like the Biden IRS going after political opponents,&rdquo; the popular account Clown World <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ClownWorld_\/status\/1891589826345894294\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">added<\/a>. &ldquo;Totally not a weaponized government agency.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Wow. Weaponized government,&rdquo; Dean Cain <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RealDeanCain\/status\/1891616001021694391\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">said<\/a>. &ldquo;Anti-American.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Unreal. No bottom to the Biden Admin&rsquo;s weaponization,&rdquo; Mike Benz wrote.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Unreal. No bottom to the Biden Admin&rsquo;s weaponization. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/wuJBuc0V6p\">https:\/\/t.co\/wuJBuc0V6p<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Mike Benz (@MikeBenzCyber) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MikeBenzCyber\/status\/1891567413126132008?\">February 17, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Hegseth is not wrong to assume that the Biden administration was targeting him because of his political affiliation.<\/p>\n<p>Over the past four years, such <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/third-michigan-gov-whitmer-kidnapping-trial-starts\/\" title=\"Third Michigan Gov. Whitmer &quot;Kidnapping&quot; Trial Starts\">targeted law enforcement<\/a> and persecution of Christians, conservatives, and Trump supporters flourished on several fronts, from the Jan. 6, 2021,&nbsp; prosecutions to the locking away of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/pardoned-pro-life-protester-reunites-husband-young-daughter-incredible-scene-thank-jesus\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">pro-life<\/a> grandmothers in federal prison.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/federal-agency-confirms-irs-whistleblowers-hunter-biden-case\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">IRS<\/a> has its own specific history of political weaponization.<\/p>\n<p>Under former President Barack Obama, IRS officials in Washington, D.C., intervened to examine the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/leah-remini-says-her-16-year-old-daughter-keeps-her-woke\/\" title=\"Leah Remini Says Her 16-Year-Old Daughter Keeps Her \u2018Woke\u2019\">tax-exempt status<\/a> of conservative groups, according to a 2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/obama-denounces-reported-irs-targeting-of-conservative-groups\/2013\/05\/13\/a0185644-bbdf-11e2-97d4-a479289a31f9_story.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">report<\/a> from The Washington Post.<\/p>\n<p>The agency&rsquo;s headquarters asked the conservative organizations about their donors and certain components of their operations.<\/p>\n<p>Other IRS offices meanwhile launched probes with groups linked to the Tea Party movement.<\/p>\n<p>Obama claimed that he had no prior knowledge of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/democratic-senator-flips-elon-musks-doge-arrives-irs-building\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">IRS<\/a> actions and vowed that &ldquo;if in fact IRS personnel engaged in the kind of practices that have been reported on, and were intentionally targeting conservative groups, then that&rsquo;s outrageous.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>He insisted that &ldquo;they have to be held fully accountable.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>But more than a decade later, that accountability appears never to have happened.<\/p>\n<p>The Democrats have continually wielded government weaponization and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wray-resigns-in-disgrace-after-using-fbi-to-persecute-enemies\/\" title=\"Wray Resigns In Disgrace After Using FBI To Persecute Enemies\">prosecuted political opponents<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>No one experienced this more directly than Trump himself, and members of his orbit, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/hegseth-slams-fox-reporter-fake-news-day-accusing-milking-140k-taxpayers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hegseth<\/a>, are still facing the same pressures even after the Democrats have left power.<\/p>\n<p>The new administration has its work cut out for it, rooting out the subversive influences in the deep state &mdash; including those who have the capacity to reach into conservative Americans&rsquo; wallets and steal the fruits of their labors.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! 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He shared a photo on X of an IRS notice stating that they would be &#8220;auditing your federal income tax return&#8221; and indicated that he owed $33,558.16. Hegseth expressed his dissatisfaction with the audit, suggesting it was politically motivated due to his association with President Donald Trump. He remarked, &#8220;Of course the outgoing Biden IRS rushed an &#8216;audit&#8217; of the incoming SecDef. Total sham,&#8221; and criticized the administration for its actions against political opponents. Other Trump allies echoed his sentiments, calling it a sign of government weaponization against conservatives and political adversaries<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2403658,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Pete-Hegseth-4.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[50523,32502,36497,44930,32171],"class_list":["post-2403657","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-audit-2","tag-biden-administration","tag-media-critique","tag-pete-hegseth","tag-political-commentary"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Pete-Hegseth-4.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2403657","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2403657"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2403657\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2403661,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2403657\/revisions\/2403661"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2403658"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2403657"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2403657"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2403657"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}