Dems called for IRS targeting of TPUSA for not masking—Vance, Trump seek investigations of NGOs funding political violence

The Trump administration has announced plans to look into leftist non-profit organizations that may be funding political violence in the United States. Vice President JD Vance has spoken about the plans for Treasury Secretary and acting IRS chief Scott Bessent to take a look at those charities, including George Soros' Open Society Foundation, to see if they are actively backing politically violent activities such as protests that turn to riots and attack ICE agents and facilities.

"A lot of this is financial," Vance told Andrew Kolvet on The Charlie Kirk Show, "if a brick gets thrown through a wall at a government building, who bought the brick? If somebody shows up and is a paid protester then riots and commits an act of violence, who paid for it?"

In an effort to try to discredit the work being tasked to the IRS or to insist that there is hypocrisy at play, Trump's critics have begun circulating a clip of Vance from 2023. Appearing on Laura Ingraham's the Ingraham Angle, Vance blasted the Biden administration's IRS for clandestinely targeting conservative watchdog organizations with audits.

The Biden administration in 2023 was working to increase the size of the IRS, to ramp up audits and collections. The American Accountability Foundation (AAF), at the time, was "being examined" by the Biden administration's IRS. The IRS requested "nearly all of AAF’s external communications on all activities."

The AAF said that this IRS investigation came after their work "exposed an effort by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse to pressure the IRS to conduct investigations on conservative nonprofits." Whitehouse targeted Turning Point USA in 2021, among other groups, because the group held an event in Florida that did not follow Biden administration Covid guidelines on social distancing and masking.

"The thing I'd say about the American Accountability Foundation," Vance told Ingraham in 2023, "is that they are extremely effective. There have been multiple Biden administration nominations that I think we've been able to defeat, because they have revealed incredibly gross things about their past views." Some Biden nominees were withdrawn for consideration after previous AAF exposes.

"What the IRS is trying to do," Vance went on to say, "is to basically send a signal that if you are doing effective work on behalf of the conservative movement, you've got to have your head on a swivel. You've got to look around you shoulder to make sure that the IRS isn't going to come after you."

Then Vance said the words that have been making the rounds on social media following the Trump administration's announcement that leftist non-profits would be scrutinized for their potential involvement in funding illegal activities.

"It's fundamentally an assault on people's first amendment rights, and it's another example of using the government to target political opponents, as opposed to effectively administer the laws of our country. This is a very new thing we're seeing in American government. It's very dangerous, and we have to call it out. We have to fight against it."

It was revealed through a FOIA submitted by the AAF to the IRS that Whitehouse had specifically asked the IRS chief to investigate Turning Point USA, saying, "Tax-exempt status provides a substantial benefit to charitable organizations and reflects the federal government's endorsement of an organization's activities.”

"Organizations that knowingly put in danger minors entrusted to their care should not enjoy the benefits of tax-exempt status. Accordingly, I urge the IRS to review whether it should revoke Turning Point USA’s tax-exempt status," Whitehouse said. Whitehouse did not have any leftist groups on his target list, the Daily Signal noted in their exclusive report.

It was revealed by the Government Accountability Institute just last week that over $100 million in US taxpayer funds have gone to a network of leftist NGOs including Arabella, Tides, and others, all of which fund programs that advocate for civil unrest and may have ties to violent political activities. That's what the Trump administration is trying to find out.

While Vance in 2023 was condemning the investigation into a non-profit for not following Covid guidelines that were later proven to be arbitrary, the Trump administration is seeking to find the funders of leftist political violence in America.