American tax officials

Chapter 356 Appearance at the Press Conference

Washington, D.C., IRS headquarters.

In the high-rise office building, Obadiah, Donald, and their entourage stood in the lobby, looking anxiously toward the elevator entrance, seemingly waiting for someone.

About five or six minutes later, the elevator doors opened with a ding, and everyone's tense faces finally relaxed when they saw the figure walking out.

When Obadiah and the others heard the news from Donald last night, they could hardly believe it. After all, all the evidence pointed to David as having died in the explosion. How could he still be alive?

Although Donald tried to explain later, they only truly believed it when they saw David standing right in front of them.

"You bastard, you should at least have let us know beforehand about something this important! You've kept us up at night for days!"

Obadiah was the first to step forward and punch David in the chest, seemingly to vent his dissatisfaction.

"I'm sorry, Chief, I admit I was a bit presumptuous, but..."

"Alright, alright, although we're very unhappy about this, as long as you're alive, that's good enough. As for an explanation... you should think about how to explain it to the media and the world!"

"Yes, David, in the few days since your 'death,' mourning events have been organized all over the country. Many of your supporters are devastated. If you can't give them a reasonable explanation, it will be difficult to resolve this peacefully."

Donald had already explained to them last night why David faked his death and why he hadn't notified them beforehand, so they didn't need to hear it a second time.

"Don't worry, I've already prepared my explanation, I'm sure it will satisfy them!"

"Alright, since that's the case, let's not delay any longer. Your appearance at the New York Freemasons' party last night has already caused a stir. Let's hold a press conference and resolve this matter first!"

Although the New York Observer is not a particularly authoritative media outlet, after a report this morning, the White House, Congress, and various departments called Obama to verify the report's authenticity, so a clarification is necessary as soon as possible.

Otherwise, if this drags on, it will not only provoke public outrage, but it will also be difficult to explain to the White House and various departments of Congress.

……

Soon after, news of the IRS holding a press conference reached the ears of various media outlets, and the news caused quite a stir among them.

It's worth noting that the New York Observer's report this morning caused quite a stir. If it were just a rumor, the IRS would have only needed to issue a statement to clarify, without having to hold such a grand press conference.

Now that the IRS is holding a press conference, it's probably not just to clarify rumors.

Could it be that... the New York Observer's report is true?

David is really not dead?

The moment this idea came out, the major media outlets couldn't contain their excitement. If it were true, it would be a huge breaking news story!

In order to get to the bottom of the matter, major media outlets also stopped delaying and rushed to the National Tax Administration headquarters as quickly as possible.

White House.

Upon receiving the news, Wilder immediately put down all his work and went to the door of the presidential office to knock on it.

"Come in."

After receiving permission, Wilder pushed open the door and went in. Behind the oval desk sat an elderly man with white hair who was nearly eighty years old.

He is the current President of the United States, Patrick.

"Sir, I just received a message that I think you should listen to."

"Oh? Tell me about it."

Padden put down the documents in his hand, looking like he was all ears.

"This morning, a New York media outlet published a front-page headline claiming that David was not dead and had even made an appearance at a Freemason dinner in New York last night. I specifically consulted the IRS and some people who attended the dinner last night about it, and guess what?"

"How is it?"

Patrick, who had been calm and collected, suddenly felt a surge of anxiety. He had been heartbroken over David's death for several days.

After all, the United States is facing such a difficult financial situation right now. It was only a rare opportunity to have someone like David who could make money, but he was suddenly assassinated. This makes it really hard to know how to push forward his money-grabbing bills and policies.

"The people at the banquet said that David did indeed show up last night. I then consulted the IRS, and although they were a bit vague, the IRS just notified the media that they will be holding a press conference at 11 o'clock. So I think the IRS is very likely to use this press conference to announce David's return!"

"What?! He's really not dead!"

Upon hearing these words, even the most famous and powerful person in the world could not remain silent.

If David hadn't died, then there would be hope for the bills he had planned to push through!

Thinking of this, Padden immediately glanced at his watch and then hurriedly said, "It's almost time, turn on the TV right away!"

……

Meanwhile, apart from the White House, all forces across the United States, as well as a large number of people, were glued to their television sets, waiting for the IRS press conference to officially begin.

With everyone watching intently, the time arrived at 11 o'clock sharp.

In the lobby of the IRS building, Obadiah led Vertonghen, Donald, and others out first.

Once under the spotlight, Obadiah began, "Good morning/afternoon/evening, friends from the media and viewers watching on television. I am Obadiah, Commissioner of the IRS. The purpose of this press conference today is primarily to clarify a misunderstanding..."

"Chief Obadiah, are you mistaken about Chief David's death in the explosion?"

A reporter below keenly grasped the key point and eagerly followed up with a question.

Donald smiled and replied, "That's right, it was indeed a misunderstanding..."

"Chief Obadiah, is Inspector General David really not dead?"

"Chief Obadiah, if Inspector General David isn't dead, whose human remains were found at the explosion site?"

"Director Obadiah..."

Upon hearing that David might actually be alive, the reporters below could no longer remain calm and began bombarding them with questions.

"Please be quiet and listen to me!"

After the room quieted down, Obadiah continued, "Now, I'd like everyone to be prepared. As for anything you want to know, Inspector General David will explain it all to you later!"

After saying that, Obadiah immediately stepped aside. He was under a lot of pressure facing the attention of the whole country and the "siege" of so many media outlets. After all, David was the one who caused this trouble, so he decided to leave the mess to the kid to deal with himself.

"What?! Inspector General David is really not dead!"

"Will Inspector General David personally explain this to us? Where is he? Where is he?"

"My goodness, that really is Inspector General David! He's really not dead!"

While the scene was still in a state of uproar, someone shouted something, and everyone turned to look.

From the passage on the right, seven or eight inspectors appeared to be escorting someone out, and upon closer inspection, they saw the face they had been longing for—David!

Amidst everyone's shocked and incredulous gazes, David stepped into the spotlight and said, "Hello everyone, I'm David."

"Inspector General David, that's definitely his voice! He's not dead!"

"Oh my god, what's going on?"

"No, I can't accept this! Wasn't that damn bastard supposed to be dead? How is he still alive?!"

"This must be a stand-in hired by the IRS to scare us. I don't believe it!"

Everyone snapped out of their daze after hearing David's voice.

But his appearance stunned the criminals who had been ecstatic for the past few days, and many of them let out heart-wrenching roars of anger.

It should be noted that since David's death, many criminals have been trying to take advantage of the situation and have decided to stop paying tribute to the IRS.

But now that David has suddenly come back to life, their plans have instantly fallen apart.

"It really was him!"

The White House, the Oval Office.

When David appeared on the screen, both Paden and Wilder stared wide-eyed.

"Haha, he's still alive!"

The Kennedy family, including Emerson, Sean, and the rest of the family, were all thrilled when they saw David appear on the big screen.

Besides them, the various forces watching at the moment also had different expressions when they saw David appear.

"I'm sorry for making this joke, but there was a reason for it. I want to apologize to everyone and ask those who support me to forgive my behavior this time."

In the lobby of the IRS building, David said those words apologetically.

"Inspector David, what is the reason you say there is a cause for this? I think that's what everyone wants to know right now. Please explain it to us."

By now, the media present have accepted the fact that David is indeed still alive, but they still have many questions in their minds.

"Here's what happened. On the eve of the explosion, I received a tip that someone was planning to assassinate me, but at the time I didn't know who was behind it."

"In many people's minds, if you're targeted for assassination, the safest course of action is to simply evade it. But I'm different. As you all know, I've offended many people because of the tax evasion law and some of the policies I've implemented. Many of them would love to see me dead. Even if I survive this time, they could still plot a second time. So, the safest way is to dig them out!"

After David finished speaking, a reporter immediately asked, "So, does that mean this so-called explosion and death was orchestrated by you, Inspector General David, and the purpose was to uncover the mastermind behind it all?"

"Yes."

The scene quieted down, and many supporters who were initially angry at being tricked by David also calmed down.

"According to the investigation results released by the Salem Police Department and the FBI, the assassination attempt on you was orchestrated by remnants of the Camorra family. Is that true, Inspector General David?"

"According to the clues I've received, it's not just that, but the specific details are still under investigation, so it's not convenient to reveal too much at the moment. We'll explain when the time is right."

"There's another question, Inspector David: whose remains were the dismembered body parts the police found in the suite?"

"That's a good question. This is an unclaimed body that I obtained through other channels. Of course, even if it's an unclaimed body, what I did constitutes the crime of desecrating a corpse. I am willing to bear all the punishment and charges for this."

Upon hearing this, everyone present exchanged bewildered glances.

Under American law, insulting a corpse can be punishable by up to three years in prison.

The problem is that David has now stated that the body is unclaimed and no one is filing a lawsuit, so David will naturally not be subject to administrative penalties.

So even if you're very dissatisfied with him, at most you can only condemn his immoral behavior of desecrating a corpse.

Of course, such behavior might be a stain on one's career in other countries, but in the United States, strictly speaking, it's not a big deal.

Americans don't mind if you make mistakes; what they mind is if you make a mistake and your attitude isn't sincere enough.

Like President Clinton back then, he was having a blast in his White House office, but he later apologized sincerely and still continued to sit on the presidential throne.

"Chief Inspector David, although you had your reasons for this, I still think it was inappropriate. After all, the hotel is a public area, and you knew in advance that someone would assassinate you with a bomb. You should have taken a more cautious approach. This time you were just lucky that there were no casualties, but next time it could be different!"

Although David explained his reasons for doing so, one reporter at the scene was still dissatisfied with the approach, and his words were quite accusatory.

"My friend from the media, I admit that what I did was somewhat inappropriate, but the fact that there were no casualties is not just a result of good luck."

After he finished speaking, everyone present was stunned for a moment.

However, they quickly realized that the fact that there were no casualties in this explosion was not just good luck, but that David had made preparations in advance to achieve this result!

"Of course, even without any injuries, we have still caused losses to the hotel, and I would like to apologize to the hotel. The IRS will cover all of the hotel's losses!"

(End of this chapter)