"87,000 IRS agents": New conspiracy theory proves Trump's encouragement of violence is GOP standard

[Nevilledog]

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Amanda Marcotte
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Trump encouraging his most violent supporters is no longer a tactic unique to him. The entire GOP has embraced winking at terrorists with this "87,000 IRS agents" conspiracy theory.

salon.com
87,000 IRS agents, guns and the GOP: Trump's nod to violence spreads
The latest GOP lie isn't just a distraction — it's feeding the violent fantasies of the insurrectionist right
10:12 AM · Aug 15, 2022

https://www.salon.com/2022/08/15/87000-irs-agents-new-conspiracy-theory-proves-encouragement-of-violence-is-standard/

While Donald Trump spins out ever more brazen lies and nonsense to sow confusion over the seizure of stolen classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, Republicans have seized on a particularly gross conspiracy theory to justify their ridiculous claim that all of this somehow impacts the personal freedoms of every day Trump voters: "87,000 new IRS agents."

A reference to new federal funding in the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act, this latest talking point appears to have been crafted originally as some anti-tax propaganda to get the base to defend the ability of the wealthy to cheat on their taxes. But it almost immediately morphed into something far more threatening. It is now an unhinged conspiracy theory that's spreading rapidly through social media, as armed right-wing nuts are riling each other up to commit more acts of political violence.

The entire situation shows that Trump's tactic of winking at right-wing extremists, in hopes they will commit violence on his behalf, has spread throughout the Republican Party. With this new lie about the IRS, both Republican leaders and Fox News have made it clear that they will not hesitate to stir up the most violent elements in their base, inflaming serious tensions for no other reason than the belief it helps them score political points during a midterm election.

The problem for Republican leaders is that the bill that further funds the IRS generally benefits the working and middle-class voters. The soon-to-be law not only doesn't raise taxes on ordinary people, but it also saves money on health care costs and features a bunch of tax credits to reduce energy costs for regular consumers. Plus, it's fundamentally about fighting climate change, a problem that's grown so pressing that even more than half of Republican voters want the government to do something about it.

*snip*

[twodogsbarking]

1. Six month wait on mailed 1040 returns.