American tax officials

Chapter 399 The Scapegoat

Amidst nationwide discussion, David, Obadiah, and Vertonghen, who had received the notification, also arrived at the White House gates.

Led by a guide, the three quickly arrived at the president's office, where they found Padden and Wilder inside.

"Mr. President, you were looking for us?"

Paiden ignored Obadiah's words and instead turned his hostile gaze to David, saying, "Inspector General David, whether it's your series of sweeping actions or the tax avoidance bill you introduced, the White House hasn't interfered with you much; in fact, we've offered a lot of support, haven't we?"

"Yes, sir."

"So, why are you treating me like this?"

"Sir, I'm not sure what you mean by...?"

In the past, David would have been quite apprehensive when faced with such questioning from America's biggest boss.

But he has been through too much during this time.

Moreover, he now holds a position in the IRS decision-making level and enjoys unparalleled prestige throughout the country, so he is not afraid of facing this number one in America.

"I'm asking you, did you make a deal with Kachira to replace me?"

Padden also pointed it out without any attempt to hide it.

"Sir, I did reach some agreements with Vice President Kacilla, but not entirely what you're thinking. After all, the bill wouldn't have passed without Vice President Kacilla's support. I hope you can understand..."

"Ha, you want her to replace me, and you expect me to understand? That's ridiculous!"

"Sir, what would you like to do?"

"David, do you think that now that you're in a position of decision-making within the IRS, no one can touch you?"

"Sir, I have never thought that way. Everything I have done has been for the sake of the country and its people!"

"Do you know that I only need one administrative order to immediately dismiss all three of you from your posts!"

Upon hearing this, Obadiah and Vertonghen, who had been silent all along, changed their expressions, because they knew that Paiden did indeed have the authority and the ability to do so.

However, David remained expressionless, replying calmly, "That's your right, but I need to remind you that even if you dismiss us, you probably won't be able to replace us with the people you want!"

Upon hearing this, Obadiah and Vertonghen were stunned, while Padden and Wilder's expressions darkened.

In the IRS, the positions of commissioner and chief counsel require presidential nomination and Senate confirmation before they can assume office.

Now that David has reached an agreement with Kacilla, he has essentially gained control of the Senate.

In other words, even if he were to dismiss Obadiah and Vertonghen from their posts, if he wanted to replace them with someone else, as long as David instructed the Senate to block him, he really wouldn't be able to replace them with the person he wanted.

But that's not the worst part. The worst part is that, according to the U.S. Constitution, the president must have the Senate review and vote before nominating any cabinet members or other important positions.

If he can't get through to the Senate, he'll be held hostage forever!

Originally, Patrick had called David over intending to give him a good talking-to and teach him to behave himself in the future, but unexpectedly, he ended up being the one being talked to instead, which made him extremely depressed.

"Alright, sir, I can be quite frank with you. While I have reached some agreements with Kachira, they are not absolute. The key question now is, what are your views on the off-site tax avoidance law?"

David didn't want to waste any more words. The most urgent thing was to find out what Padden's true attitude was towards the bill so that he could take the next step.

"As you can see, I've sent the bill back to the Senate. So, are you planning to take action against me now?"

"I believe this is simply because you haven't thought it through yet, sir. Once you have, you can have the Senate send the bill over for your signature and enactment at any time!"

"hehe."

Padden scoffed, offering neither comment nor response.

Just then, the landline phone on the desk rang. Paden picked it up, said he would be right there, and then left without saying goodbye, leaving Obadiah and the other two looking completely bewildered, as well as White House Chief of Staff Wilder in the office.

The three men exchanged glances, then Obadiah turned to Wilder and asked, "Chief of Staff Wilder, could you tell us whether there's anything left to discuss regarding this bill?"

"Logically speaking, if a bill passes both the House and Senate, it proves that the bill has value, and we in the White House should not obstruct it. But as you know, the problem now is that this bill is exploiting American capitalists, so we are facing a lot of pressure..."

Wilder looked troubled, his words neither refusing nor agreeing.

"What should we do then?"

Obadiah asked again.

"Oh well, never mind!"

Wilder's face showed a struggle. He sighed and said, "Let me be frank with you, the President is actually more inclined to sign, but as I said before, the White House is already under a lot of pressure. Once we sign, we'll likely be sanctioned by the three major corporations and all capitalists. We can't afford the consequences, unless..."

Finally, Wilder turned his gaze to David.

"Unless what?"

David asked immediately.

"Unless we were 'forced' to sign!"

"Forced into a corner!?"

David and his two companions were taken aback at first, but quickly understood what the other party meant.

"Once this bill is enacted, the White House will be a huge beneficiary, yet you don't want to put in any effort or bear any pressure. Haha."

Obadiah disapproved of the other party's practice of making them take the blame and made a sarcastic remark.

"We only have this one condition. If you agree, we'll sign. What do you think?"

"you……"

"Alright, Chief, I think we can agree to this condition!"

Before Obadiah could say anything more, David interrupted him.

Although he was indeed prepared to impeach the president if the White House did not sign the petition, the reaction to impeaching a country's president was still too great.

Moreover, this is not a procedure that can be completed in a short period of time.

Therefore, he doesn't want to actually impeach unless absolutely necessary.

Now, although Paden is making him take the blame, it's not a big deal, since he's already considered "utterly wicked" by many people.

They don't care about adding another infamy of threatening the White House.

Will not initiating impeachment proceedings cause dissatisfaction among Kaczyk?

The answer is definitely yes.

After all, the reason Kachira helped him was simply because she saw an opportunity to rise to the top immediately.

However, his previous agreement with Kaczynski was that he would only initiate impeachment proceedings if the White House refused to sign the petition.

But now, as long as he bears this infamy, the White House will agree to sign, which doesn't necessarily mean he's violating the agreement with Kaczynski.

At worst, he can give Kachira more help in 28, which can be considered as compensation.

"Very good, Inspector General David is indeed a man of principle!"

Wilder smiled with satisfaction.

"Chief of Staff Wilder, now that you've decided on this plan, what should we do next?"

"It's very simple, you just do this..."

"..."

……

The next day, in the Inspector General's office at the IRS.

Kepper walked in and said, "Inspector General, Mr. Pinkman has arrived!"

"Please let him in!"

"yes!"

A few minutes later, a portly, bespectacled middle-aged man walked in. He was the editor-in-chief of the Washington Post, a well-known group in Washington, D.C.

"Hello, Mr. Pinkman!"

"Hello, Inspector General David!"

"Please have a seat!"

After the two shook hands, David gestured for the other person to sit down.

However, Pinkman was filled with doubt at this moment.

Early this morning, he received a phone call from someone who claimed to be the office assistant of the IRS Inspector General.

The Inspector General of the IRS was none other than the infamous David, so he was naturally quite startled.

But what alarmed him even more was what followed: the office assistant on the other end of the phone claimed that David himself wanted to meet with him.

Upon hearing this news, he was terrified and kept wondering if he had offended David in some way.

Fortunately, after thinking it over for a while, he realized that he and David had no personal grudges, and although he was the editor-in-chief of the Washington Post, he had never specifically attacked David or the IRS, which put his mind at ease.

Even so, he couldn't help feeling a little uneasy when he came to stand in front of David.

After all, a person's reputation precedes them, and David not only had the feat of sending many high-ranking and powerful people to prison.

Now, under his impetus, this historic tax avoidance bill has passed both the House and Senate, and his prestige is at its zenith, making him someone not to be trifled with.

"Don't be alarmed, Mr. Pinkman. I have no ill intentions towards you, nor towards your newspaper!"

Hearing David's reassurance, Pinkman's anxiety subsided considerably, and he immediately asked, "Then, may I ask what brings Inspector General David to see me today?"

"What are your thoughts on the off-site tax avoidance legislation, Mr. Pinkman?"

Pinkman pondered for a moment and replied, "From my personal perspective, this bill is indeed beneficial to the country and its people, therefore I personally support it!"

He wasn't saying this against his will, after all, this bill is fleecing capitalists, while ordinary people and the middle class will be the ones to benefit.

Since he is not a capitalist, he naturally tends to support the bill.

"And what is your opinion on the President's refusal to sign the bill and sending it back to the Senate?"

"Well... perhaps the president has his own political views..."

People online can criticize Paton as a spokesperson for capitalists.

But since he is a public figure, he naturally doesn't attack Patrick directly like ordinary citizens do.

After all, the president might not be able to deal with the citizens, but dealing with a newspaper editor would be a piece of cake.

"Mr. Pinkman, there are no outsiders here, you can speak freely!"

David looked at him with a smile.

Seeing David's gaze, Pinkman also felt a bit of pressure.

Did I say something wrong?

Or is David trying to force him to take sides?

But there are plenty of powerful people in Washington, so why single out a small newspaper editor like him and force him to take sides?

Unable to understand, Pinkman asked bluntly, "Inspector General David, since there are no outsiders here, just tell me what you want me to do?"

"It's nothing, I've got a big scoop for you, but I don't know if you have the guts to report it!"

"Breaking news!"

Pinkman was startled and asked, "May I ask, Inspector General David, what's the big news?"

David opened the cabinet below, took out a document, and pushed it in front of Pinkman.

Pinkman didn't hesitate and picked it up to take a look.

A few minutes later, Pinkman, after reading the documents, showed a look of shock on his face, and then said, "Inspector General David, where did you get all of this?"

"I don't need to tell you that. Just tell me if you have the guts to report it!"

The document contained nothing but dirt on Patten.

This was a ruse that David and Wilder had planned yesterday. He would expose the president's dirty secrets so that the White House could pretend to be forced to sign the document.

Upon hearing David's words, Pinkman's expression darkened, and he fell into deep thought.

He asked what big news David was going to send him. It turned out to be dirt on the president. This was more than just big news; it was news that shocked the world.

However, while reporting on the president's scandals may garner global attention, it also carries significant risks.

As mentioned before, while Patten, as the head of state, might not be able to take down the IRS, taking down an editor-in-chief would be a piece of cake.

So at this moment, he was a little conflicted. On the one hand, this was indeed a big news story with a lot of traffic, but on the other hand, it might involve retaliation from the White House, which could lead to serious trouble.

After about three minutes of deliberation, Pinkman ultimately decided against taking the risk and reluctantly declined, saying, "Inspector General David, this news... I don't think I can handle it!"

"Your Washington Post, as one of the most well-known media outlets in America, and you as its editor-in-chief, if you can't handle this, then which media outlet can?"

David's words carried a hint of sarcasm.

"this……"

Pinkman was momentarily at a loss for words.

(End of this chapter)