Online extremists, including neo-Nazis, white supremacists, conspiracy theorists, anti-government individuals, QAnon adherents, and Boogaloo movement supporters have been critical of the Inflation Reduction Act, which passed in the Senate on August 14 and in the House on August 12. In particular, the opposed the $80 billion allotted to the IRS. Moreover, after an IRS job posting noted that agents are to carry a firearm and "use deadly force if necessary," conspiracy theories were swiftly circulated claiming that IRS agents will be waging a war against citizens, with some users claiming the IRS will act as a paramilitary arm of the government. Neo-Nazis and white supremacists argued that this new requirement was proposed in order to target white people. Across social media platforms such as Telegram, Gab, TheDonald and Twitter, threats were made against the IRS and its agents. The following report will detail the threats and commentary related to the IRS job posting and the provisions allocated to the agency in the Inflation Reduction Act.
The following is an excerpt of a report which details the threats and commentary related to the IRS job posting and the provisions allocated to the agency in the Inflation Reduction Act.
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Threats Of Violence Against The IRS
Numerous extremists have discussed their preparation for a hypothetical home visit from an IRS agent, calling on others to stock up on ammunition and prepare their guns.
An anti-government extremist has issued multiple violent threats on his Gab account against both the IRS and FBI. The user wrote in reference to IRS agents: "Shoot them in the face. Shoot them in the dick. Hit them with a broadhead with a 70lb compound bow if you're gonna aim for the chest unless you have a rifle that will pierce their Kevlar vest. Every single one of these pieces of shit deserve to bleed out. Peaceful protest time is over." The user was subsequently arrested, charged with influencing, impeding, or retaliating against federal law enforcement officers.
On August 9, a user said in the conspiracy-theory Telegram channel that they endorse the killing of federal agents: "Lol the DOJ could weaponize the FBI against us. They're already trying with the IRS. This is why I believe in the killing of all federal agents."
A user in an antigovernment chat wrote: "Bring it... been preparing for this awhile. They underestimate the will of the millions of embedded patriots just waiting for just cause and reason to rise and end this liberal aggression. People have been pushed to the brink and have held much anger inside, waiting for the day we can unleash years of pent-up mockery fed anger. They will be sorry for the day when this revolution explodes from the fuse they just lit."
Another user wrote: ""AND THAT MAY BE THE ONLY THING THAT KEEPS THEM ALIVE. THEY WILL BE SNIPED OFF ON A REGULAR BASIS. WE'RE DONE. COME TO OUR HOMES. WE WILL SHOOT FIRST. NEVER ASK QUESTIONS AND YOU'LL NEVER FIND THE BODIES. AND YES WE'RE MORE THAN CAPABLE OF DISPOSING OF 87K BODIES. THAT'S HOW IT ENDS. JUST SAY NO LOUDLY." 87,000 refers to the number of IRS agents the government intends on hiring.
On August 12, users on the pro-former President Trump and anti-government "The Donald" forum made threats against IRS agents. A user wrote: "Good... I won't have any problem killing THEM and hanging there bodies in trees.."
"Going to be a lot of stacked bodies" another wrote.
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