By Dan Murphy
Have you read the Twitter Files? Or at least heard of them? I have read all 19 and suggest that you do the same. Unfortunately, the Twitter files have fallen victim to our country’s hyper-partisanship, where nothing can be viewed, or read, based on its factual basis or truth.
My usual disclaimer: I did not vote for Trump in 2016 or 2020, nor did I vote for Hillary in16′ or Biden in 20′. I search for interesting, thought provoking journalism in my daily reading, and don’t care if it helps a conservative or progressive narrative. Let the chips fall where they may.
One of the primary Twitter Files authors was Matt Taibbi. Taibbi was able to prove, through emails and messages between Twitter’s former executives, the FBI, and the intelligence community in Washington DC, that a so-called Russian conspiracy, (Russiagate) to influence the 2020 election with disinformation on Social Media in an attempt to help Donald Trump never existed (#Russiagatehoax), and that this same group suppressed certain stories, while spreading other fake claims about Russian bots working online to help Trump, to a cooperative American media.
Most of the American media has ignored the Twitter Files, because they are damaging to democrats but also to the same American media who got duped by Russiagate hoaxers including Hamilton 68.
On March 9, Taibbi testified before Congress, to discuss what he found in the Twitter files. Some democrats on the congressional committee called him a “so-called” journalist. Taibbi responded, “I’ve won the National Magazine Award, the I.F. Stone Award for Independent Journalism, and I’ve written 10 books, including four New York Times bestsellers.”
While he was testifying, the IRS pay a visit to his New Jersey home. Usually, the IRS sends you a letter, or other notification. Taibbi, who was NOT paid for his Twitter files writings, said that the IRS left a note instructing him to call, and was told that both his 2018 and 2021 tax returns were rejected due to “concerns over identity theft.”
Congressman Jim Jordan said, “No one thinks it’s a coincidence. Everyone thinks this was done for intimidation reasons. This was done as some kind of targeting, but it would be really easy for the IRS to answer.”
“The fear of many Americans is that, flush with its new $80 billion in funding from Congress, the IRS will unleash its fearsome power against political opponents. Mr. Taibbi deserves to know why the agency decided to pursue him with a very strange house call,” writes The Wall Street Journal in an editorial.
Taibbi said that his 2018 return had been accepted, and was never notified of an issue. He added that his 2021 return was refiled and rejected but that it was accepted and that got a “considerable” refund from Uncle Sam.
Why am I writing this? Over the past year, we have been writing stories, and accepting paid advertisements, from Tony Futia, a longtime Westchester resident and Veteran.
Tony has published articles about his belief that the Federal Income Tax is voluntary, and that most Americans, (if you don’t work for the Federal government) don’t have to pay income tax. Futia is in the middle of a Federal lawsuit in White Plains over his refusal to pay his Federal Income Tax since 2014.
Whether you agree or disagree with Futia on this topic, we print his stories and his ads because we believe that he has a First Amendment right to be heard, and our newspapers and website have a First Amendment right to publish his writings. We find Mr. Futia’s opinions interesting, and more important, worthy for our readers.
That is why we publish them and share it with you. But we also hope that the IRS doesn’t come knocking at my door anytime soon. Tony Futia’s political persuation, just like Matt Taibbi’s political persuation, should not matter to the IRS.
From the WSJ, “The bigger question is when did the IRS start to dispatch agents for surprise house calls? If the IRS wants to audit a return, it schedules a meeting at the agent’s office. It doesn’t drop by unannounced.The curious timing of this visit…raises questions about potential intimidation.”
And read the Twitter Files if you get the chance.
