GOP attempts to shift conversation from Trump’s legal woes by claiming Dems want to 'weaponize' the IRS

Following the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) search of former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, Republican lawmakers are reportedly looking to shift the focus from the relentless Trump-centric news cycle.

According to HuffPost, Republicans are responding to the search on Trump's property by criticizing an unrelated topic: The Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Per the news outlet, Republican lawmakers are "desperate to change the subject to something else ― anything else" and are now focused on "pushing an extremely weird and false talking point: Tens of thousands of tax collectors are coming for you."

On Monday, August 8, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) shared his reaction via Twitter as he pivoted to concerns about the IRS. “The FBI raiding Donald Trump is unprecedented,” he tweeted. “The Biden Admin has fully weaponized DOJ & FBI to target their political enemies. And with 87K new IRS agents, they’re coming for YOU too.”

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Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.) also tweeted his complaints about the United States justice system as he shared his disapproval of the IRS. “One more example of our two-tiered system of justice,” tweeted Johnson. “Who do you think they’ll weaponize the 87,000 IRS agents against? The answer is obvious. Their political enemies.”

On Tuesday, Rep. Kat Cammack (R-Fla.) tweeted to criticize Democrats' passing of new legislation to provide funding for more than 80,000 agents.

“Senate Democrats just passed their insane tax-and-spend package, which includes funding for more than 87,000 new IRS agents — more than State, DoD, and CBP combined,” Cammack tweeted. “This nonsense + wild weaponization of the FBI + Democrats’ inflation, crime, border crises = @HouseGOP landslide.”

Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) also warned American citizens about the IRS and Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) echoed a similar sentiment. "If the FBI can raid the home of a former US President, imagine what 87,000 more IRS agents will do to you,” tweeted Banks.

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“The same Democrats cheering on the FBI raiding President Trump’s house are trying to give the IRS 87,000 new agents and an additional $80 billion,” tweeted Boebert. “And we’re supposed to believe they won’t also weaponize the IRS?”

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) also expressed frustration as news about the FBI's search continued to circulate online.

“The @FBI raid on President Trump was approved by Director Wray, who also claimed that the illegal FISA warrants used to spy on Trump were constitutional,” said Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who voted in favor of confirming FBI Director Christopher Wray. “Today’s raid is outrageous and unjust, but predictable.”

“Using government power to persecute political opponents is something we have seen many times from 3rd world Marxist dictatorships. But never before in America,” tweeted Rubio.

Rep. Diana Harshbarger (R-Tenn.) also argued that the FBI's actions were an example of "inconsistent and partisan" action. “The inconsistent and partisan application of the law by the FBI has gone too far,” argued Harshbarger. “The Democrats, for too long, have used our government agencies from the FBI to the IRS to target their political opponents.”

READ MORE: 'Un-American': GOP lawmakers lash out after FBI searches Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate