A Trump administration official last month asked the Internal Revenue Service to look into concerns from Mike Lindell, the pillow entrepreneur and a leading denier of the 2020 presidential election, that he had been inappropriately targeted for an audit, according to three people familiar with the matter and an email viewed by The New York Times.
David Eisner, a Treasury official, wrote an email in March to a top I.R.S. official that Mr. Lindell, “a high-profile friend of the President recently received an audit letter, from what I understand, his second in two years.” Mr. Eisner wrote that Mr. Lindell “is concerned that he may have been inappropriately targeted” and then signed off the message.
I.R.S. officials did not act on the email, and instead referred it to the agency’s inspector general, according to the people. But the message alarmed agency staff that President Trump hoped to use the tax collector to protect his friends and allies from normal scrutiny, concerns that have only grown as the Trump administration clears out agency leadership and pushes it to carry out Mr. Trump’s directions.
Neither a Treasury spokesperson nor Mr. Eisner immediately responded to a request for comment. In an interview, Mr. Lindell said that Mr. Eisner’s message reflected a mix-up. Mr. Lindell said he had reached out to Treasury officials about why companies should have to amend previous tax years’ returns after receiving the employee retention tax credit, a pandemic-era benefit.
“It’s nonsensical government waste and I really want to try and get this rectified,” he said. Mr. Lindell said he had also faced an I.R.S. inquiry over when he could write off the cost of a Covid-19 drug he tried to sell during the pandemic.
“It’s pending their decision,” he said. “The I.R.S. is very slow in making the decision.”
Mr. Lindell met with Mr. Trump at the White House earlier this year. He has faced several defamation lawsuits stemming from his claims that the 2020 election was stolen, and federal agents seized his phone in 2022.
Beyond shielding Mr. Trump’s friends, the Trump administration has pushed the I.R.S. to investigate his political targets, including by asking it to revoke Harvard’s tax-exempt status. The administration earlier this month also enlisted the I.R.S. to help Immigration and Customs Enforcement deport undocumented immigrants.
Andrew Duehren covers tax policy for The Times from Washington.
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