Treasury watchdog debunks NY Times suggestion Trump targeted Comey, McCabe with IRS audits

A narrative peddled by The New York Times earlier this year suggesting former President Trump sought vengeance on his political foes through the IRS was debunked by the Biden administration. 

Back in July, the Times fueled a news cycle with a report highlighting how former FBI Director James Comey and former Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe, both of whom had key roles in the Russia investigation that plagued much of the Trump presidency, faced what the paper described as "the most invasive type of random audit" from the tax-collecting agency. 

According to the report, Comey's 2017 tax return and McCabe's 2019 tax return were being scrutinized under the National Research Program, which fell in the purview of IRS commission Charles P. Rettig, a Trump appointee whose term carried into the Biden presidency and ended last month.