The Internal Revenue Service selects a number of random Americans each year to be subjected to an intensive, invasive audit. Among those selected in recent years: former FBI director James Comey and his one-time deputy Andrew McCabe, both declared archenemies of former President Donald Trump. In a report published Wednesday, The New York Times reported that in 2017, Comey—who had been fired from his post at the bureau by Trump just months prior—was one of just 5,000 people targeted by the IRS for the audit. Last year, McCabe, who had served as acting director of the FBI for several months following Comey’s departure, was one of 8,000 chosen to be audited by the IRS, run by a Trump appointee. McCabe himself was dismissed in 2018 less than two days before he was set to retire. On the day of McCabe’s termination, Trump tweeted that it was “a great day for the hard working men and women of the FBI.” During his time in office, the president had repeatedly and unsuccessfully pushed for the prosecution of both men. Former IRS officials and tax lawyers told the Times that it would be difficult for a president to aim an audit as an enemy.
