Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is criticizing the former administration for allegedly rushing an audit into him by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Hegseth accused former President Joe Biden’s administration of rushing an IRS audit into him in a post to social media platform X on Monday. He attached a photo of what appears to be a notice from the IRS that he was being audited for his federal tax return.
“Of course the outgoing Biden IRS rushed an ‘audit’ of the incoming SecDef. Total sham. The party of ‘norms’ and ‘decency’ strikes again. We will never back down,” Hegseth wrote on X.
The notice said that Hegseth owes “a balance of $33,558.16,” according to the photo.
Top Trump ally Elon Musk also commented on Hegseth’s post: “They love the low blows.”
While some users told him that he was being targeted by the IRS, other users told him that he should just pay what he owes.
“Counterpoint: pay your taxes, Pete,” former adviser to President Barack Obama, Tommy Vietor, wrote on X.
Hegseth, a former Fox News host, was narrowly confirmed as Defense Secretary last month despite widespread backlash over reports of his controversial behavior, including allegations of excessive drinking and sexual misconduct. Since being sworn in, he has also faced criticism for his comments on the Russia-Ukraine war.
Hegseth’s troubles with the IRS comes as Musk’s team reportedly seeks access to taxpayer data at the agency, multiple outlets reported. The IRS has been a target of Republicans’ and Musk’s efforts to shrink the size of the federal government.
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