What we feared —and what I discussed in my last post —is now happening. President Trump has ordered the IRS Criminal Investigation Division to target left-leaning nonprofits and their donors.
According to the Wall Street Journal, senior IRS officials have already created “a list of potential targets.” The administration is installing presidential loyalists to carry out this directive, while some career IRS criminal tax attorneys are voicing alarm about investigators’ methods.
This is textbook authoritarianism. Former Congressman Denver Riggleman put it plainly: “This is using the government to destroy dissent.”
The administration claims these groups foment “political violence,” but offers no evidence. It’s a vague accusation designed to justify targeting any organization that protests or opposes Trump’s policies. Vice President Vance and Attorney General Bondi have amplified this narrative about a dangerous “network” on the left—without identifying who or what they’re talking about.
This is also illegal. Federal law makes it a felony for White House officials to order the IRS to target specific people for political purposes. It’s even a crime for IRS employees not to report such orders to the Treasury Inspector General. (The acting IRS IG is Heather M. Hill)
The pattern we outlined in our previous post—foreign agent laws, arbitrary shutdowns, harassment through audits—is unfolding in real time. Nonprofits working on democracy, human rights, immigration, voting rights, and environmental issues face the greatest danger, as do the institutional funders (foundations, particularly) of these organizations. Many of these funders may also be your donors.
The weaponization of the IRS represents a fundamental assault on First Amendment rights and the independence of civil society. What happened in Russia, Nicaragua, and Hungary is no longer just a warning. It’s our reality now.
Nonprofits must prepare. Document everything, identify appropriate legal counsel if needed, support your donors and stakeholders with accurate and timely information, expand your donor base, and stand together.
Silence will not protect us.
