Once inside, the Internal Revenue Service agent, purporting to be named Bill Haus, began to harass and intimidate the taxpayer, according to a congressional report released Friday. 

The woman called a lawyer, who told the IRS agent to leave the home since the taxpayer had gotten no prior notice of unpaid taxes. 

"I am an IRS agent. I can be at and go into anyone's house at any time I want to be," responded the agent, who was using a phony name, according to the report from the House Judiciary Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government.

Under pressure from Congress, the IRS discontinued its policy of unannounced home visits in July. 

The select subcommittee's 22-page report is titled "Fighting the Weaponization of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS): The End of Abusive Unannounced Field Visits."

Weaponization-IRS (Download PDF)

The Ohio woman's experience is one of several examples of IRS abuse included in the House panel's report.

"After the taxpayer called the police, the revenue officer even filed a complaint against the police department," the report says. "The IRS later confirmed that the taxpayer owed nothing and acknowledged the situation 'never should have gotten this far.'"

Under Democrat control, Congress voted in August 2022 to boost IRS funding by $80 billion over 10 years. The funding increase prompted congressional Republicans to demand more oversight of the agency.  

"This shocking abuse of power is a startling indication that the IRS believes it may do what it wants, when it wants," the report says.

House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, also is chairman of the weaponization subcommittee.

The report from the subcommittee also details an IRS field visit to the home of journalist Matt Taibbi on the same day he testified to Congress about government censorship.

The IRS initiated a case against Taibbi on Christmas Eve, three weeks after the reporter published the first installment of the "Twitter Files." 

The "Twitter Files" was a series of reports based on new owner Elon Musk's release of information to Taibbi and several other journalists about the social media site's practices, including its relationship with the federal government. (Musk later changed Twitter's name to X.)

"In the four-and-one-half years between when the IRS alleges it last tried to contact Mr. Taibbi and the day it conducted an unannounced field visit, neither he nor his accountant ever received notice from the IRS about an issue with his tax return," the report says.

"The IRS conducted its field visit even though Mr. Taibbi did not owe the IRS anything; rather, the IRS owed Mr. Taibbi a substantial refund," the report continues. "The unannounced field visit alarmed Mr. Taibbi, who viewed it as an attempt to chill his reporting about government abuses."

The IRS did not respond Friday to The Daily Signal's inquiry for this report.

IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel issued a public statement July 24 about the policy change regarding home visits.

"We are taking a fresh look at how the IRS operates to better serve taxpayers and the nation, and making this change is a common-sense step," Werfel said in the statement. "Changing this long-standing procedure will increase confidence in our tax administration work and improve overall safety for taxpayers and IRS employees."

Agents also weren't safe during the home visits, Werfel added.

"These visits created extra anxiety for taxpayers already wary of potential scam artists," he said. "At the same time, the uncertainty around what IRS employees faced when visiting these homes created stress for them as well. This is the right thing to do and the right time to end it." Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here

Fred Lucas is chief news correspondent and manager of the Investigative Reporting Project for The Daily Signal.

To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE

Why the New RomCom ‘MERV’ Can Bring You Joy This Christmas

How the 'Heavens Declare the Glory of God': What One Man's Research Has Revealed about The Star of Bethlehem

Over 50 Tren de Aragua Gang Members Imported Under Democrats Indicted in Nebraska in Massive Nationwide ATM Jackpotting Scheme

205 Child Victims Located and Rescued in DOJ Sex Exploitation Op

Trump Admin Pausing All Off Shore Wind Project Construction Due To National Security Concerns

Trump Grants Federal Workers Two Additional Christmas Holidays

America Fest 2025: Erika Kirk Endorses 'My Husband's Friend' JD Vance for President

Brent Bozell Confirmed as US Ambassador to South Africa

Jury Quickly Convicts Judge Who Helped Illegal Migrant Escape ICE

Feds Estimate Somali-Linked Fraud in Walz's Minnesota Could Top $9 Billion

Trump SUSPENDS 'Green Card Lottery' after Program Let Brown University–MIT Shooting Suspect Enter the US

Brown, MIT Shooter Found Dead for Days in NH Storage Unit; Motive Still a Mystery

House Passes Bill to Criminalize Transgender Mutilation of Children

November Inflation Falls to 2.7%, Lower than Expected: 'This Is Good News for Wall Street; It’s Good News for Main Street'

MOVIEGUIDE's Review of the New Animated Film: DAVID

Massachusetts Drops Controversial Gender Ideology Mandate for Licensing Foster Care Parents

Nearly 40% of Women Suffer Severe Grief for Years after Abortion, Miscarriage: Study

Former Pfizer Vice President: COVID Shots Were 'Designed to Cause Injury,' Reduce Fertility

Dutch Sheets Shares a Warning from the US National Counterterrorism Center

Venezuela: Trump's Pressure Campaign and Maduro's Fury