American tax officials

"Everyone stand up!"

Alica decided to ignore everything else for now and stood up to read out: "Defendants Dalik, Andre, Stevenson... are found guilty of abuse of power, embezzlement, bribery, and tax evasion."

"The verdict is as follows: Defendant Dalik is sentenced to 20 years imprisonment without parole!"

"The defendant, Andrei, is sentenced to 20 years imprisonment without parole!"

"The defendant..."

The people on this trial are not ordinary people; they are all high-ranking officials in New York. Therefore, Alika and David had agreed beforehand to adopt standard sentencing criteria in order to minimize the unrest in New York State.

It is worth mentioning that in previous court trials, after the verdict was announced, the defendants were almost always ashen-faced or collapsed in their seats upon hearing their sentences.

However, upon hearing the verdict, Dalik and his group only appeared somewhat distressed, showing no signs of collapse.

This has once again sparked speculation among people both inside and outside the venue. Could it be that they still have some tricks up their sleeve to turn the tide?

"Inspector General David, I have a feeling something's not right."

As soon as the court hearing ended, Neham and Goldwin, along with other IRS officials, approached and spoke with furrowed brows.

"Something is definitely not right. I think they probably have some other plans."

David had seemed a bit confused before, but now he seems to have figured some things out.

During the two days these people were detained, the Freemasons sent quite a few people to see them, perhaps to reassure them.

But no matter what, now that these people have been sentenced, they can forget about escaping his grasp!

"Hmm, that's possible..."

Hearing this, Goldwin and Nehm agreed. Goldwin then added, "Whatever your plans, once you're in our IRS jail, you're not getting out easily!"

David nodded and said, "Director Goldwin, I have some things to take care of. See you later."

"OK!"

David led Munson, Larry, and the others out of the courthouse and into their car.

……

After the court hearing, the matter instantly took off and spread throughout the United States.

After all, these are the mayor, police chief, governor, and other officials from a global financial center.

Yet he still fell to David's hands, once again demonstrating to the world how terrifying David was.

Washington, D.C., IRS headquarters.

"Great job, David!"

"Now that we've got this group of people under control, it will definitely serve as a warning to other legislators or candidates. If David does a little more work, I think even if he can't win all the seats in New York State, he should be able to win most of them without any problem."

"As the Freemasons' stronghold, this purge of their officials in New York State has severely weakened them. If they also lose the congressional seats they control, they'll essentially be toothless tigers!"

After the verdict was announced, the senior officials were finally relieved.

To be honest, they were still very nervous before the trial.

Putting aside people like Stevenson, Daleike is a governor, after all.

If the trial fails to convict him, then the power of a governor to launch an attack would be a significant blow to the IRS.

Fortunately, the outcome was still smooth, and David, as always, demonstrated a clean and efficient solution.

"Director, advisor, what's wrong?"

After the initial euphoria subsided, a senior executive noticed something amiss in the two men's expressions and immediately asked them a question.

"Don't you guys think there's something off about Dalik and Andrei?"

Obadiah's words made the senior executives realize what was going on.

Yes, they had been wondering about these people's expressions before, but the subsequent verdict filled them with joy and they forgot about it.

Thinking about it now, there really are some problems.

Why was Dalik Andrei able to maintain his composure even after hearing that he would end up in prison?

Could it be... that the Freemasons gave them some kind of reassurance?

"In that case, this incident is probably not truly over yet..."

The executive's words instantly froze the atmosphere in the conference room.

If the Freemasons reassure these people, then there will inevitably be other actions to follow.

"Chief..."

Just as everyone in the conference room was still deep in thought, a staff member burst in.

"Just now, while being taken to prison, Dalik, Andre, and the others gave an interview. They all recanted their previous statements, claiming they did not commit any illegal or disorderly acts and were framed by the IRS and Inspector General David!"

Upon hearing this, everyone present was stunned.

He didn't defend himself in court, but only stood up to defend himself when the verdict was announced and he was about to be taken to prison. What kind of operation is this?

"What do they mean by this?"

Vertonghen immediately asked.

"According to them, because this was an IRS court and a judge, everything was already predetermined. They knew that arguing in court would be useless, so they resorted to that silent protest!"

"A silent protest..."

The high-ranking officials looked at each other in bewilderment, but they quickly understood.

The Freemasons probably anticipated that David must have solid evidence to bring this group to court.

Therefore, knowing that recanting one's testimony in court is not very useful, they resort to recanting one's testimony outside of court, which is more advantageous!

But I have to say, this move is actually pretty clever!

This is an irony that there are no human rights in their IRS courts!

At the same time, David also received the news immediately while driving the Cadillac Beast on Fifth Avenue in New York.

"A silent protest...that's interesting."

David's lips curled up slightly, revealing a somewhat intriguing expression.

Senna Island, on the east coast of New York.

Henrietta, Joshua, and other high-ranking Freemasons were also closely following the trial.

"I knew it! Dalik and his gang were definitely not going to escape his grasp!"

Prescott had anticipated this outcome before the verdict was announced, so they weren't particularly surprised.

"Whatever. How's Sullivan doing? He should be at the White House soon, right?"

It was Joshua who asked that question.

"Just received news, he's arrived."

"Alright, let's see how things are going on his end!"

……

Washington, D.C., the White House.

A convoy arrived at the gate, the doors opened, and a slender, refined man stepped out of the middle carriage.

His name is Jako Sullivan, and he is the current National Security Advisor to the President.

The National Security Advisor is primarily responsible for the United States' foreign policy work, and their duties are somewhat similar to those of the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense.

However, unlike the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense, this position is not the head of a government department.

The president's National Security Advisor does not require congressional approval to take office, and since no approval is required, they are not subject to oversight and are accountable only to the president.

In addition, during the 2020 election, as a campaign advisor to Patden's team, he can be said to have successfully helped Patden reach the highest seat in the United States.

After that, he became the person Paten trusted most, and was even hailed as the most powerful brain behind Paten.

"Sir, the President knows you're back and is already waiting for you."

"understood."

Sullivan replied expressionlessly, then strode to the door of the presidential office, knocked, and went inside.

"Sullivan is back."

As soon as Sullivan walked in, Patten immediately put on a friendly smile.

The United States can be called the world's policeman because it is involved in almost every strategic change, armed conflict, and diplomatic dispute that occurs around the world.

However, Patten was getting old and didn't have the energy to do these things himself, so the task always fell to Sullivan.

And Sullivan certainly lived up to expectations; under his leadership, most of America's major strategic policies were successfully implemented and promoted.

This led to Patten not only trusting him more and more, but even becoming quite dependent on him.

"Yes, sir, the trip to Ukraine went fairly smoothly. Thanks to my lobbying, France, Germany... these countries have all expressed their willingness to increase aid..."

At present, the top priority for the United States is the EW conflict, so as soon as he met Padden, Sullivan began to describe the situation there at length.

"Great. With these countries increasing their aid, the pressure on us is much lighter. Sullivan, you've worked hard on this. Now that you're back, enjoy your vacation."

"No, sir, I didn't come back this time to enjoy a vacation. I heard you've encountered some trouble, so I took some time to come back to help you solve it."

"Um?"

Patten glanced at Sullivan with surprise, then asked, "Are you referring to the IRS?"

"Yes, sir, David from the IRS is getting increasingly arrogant. I've heard that the recent incident in New York has directly challenged your authority. This can no longer be tolerated; we must curb his arrogance!"

Sullivan's tone carried a hint of ruthlessness.

Immediately after graduating from Yale University, he was appointed as the Director of Policy Planning at the American GW Institute, making him the youngest Director of Policy Planning in the United States.

During his subsequent Obama administration, he spearheaded the "Pivot to Asia" policy, which brought him great renown.

Now, during Patten's tenure, as the President's National Security Advisor and National Security Advisor, he has become a formidable figure in the eyes of various countries, enjoying unparalleled prominence.

However, David's arrival stole the spotlight from him, and it's impossible for him not to feel some resentment.

The reason he abandoned diplomatic affairs in various countries to return this time was not only because the Freemason group had communicated with him, but also because he wanted to personally meet with Inspector David, who had stolen his thunder!

"this……"

Paiden fell silent upon hearing this.

Sullivan is young and energetic, skilled at devising strategies and cunning. He did consider bringing him back to suppress David and curb his arrogance.

However, the EW war is still ongoing, and he needs Sullivan, a formidable general, to be stationed in Europe in order to control the situation.

After all, no matter how much David stirs things up, it's all ultimately an internal matter for the United States.

If the situation on the EW battlefield is not handled properly, it could shake America's hegemony.

So whether it was the previous Kathira incident or David's direct challenge to his authority through the New York cleanup incident, he never considered distracting Sullivan.

"Mr. President, I've taken care of things in Europe. There shouldn't be any problems in the short term. Even if something does happen, I can always step back to deal with it. But the matter of David must be dealt with seriously. Otherwise, if things continue like this, we're afraid he'll be leading us by the nose in everything we do!"

Sullivan and Patten were truly intertwined, sharing both glory and ruin.

In this New York cleanup incident, David has directly challenged Patten's authority. If a few more similar incidents occur, it will be a serious problem.

What will others think of that?

People will think, "You, the biggest boss of America, actually have to bow down to David. Who will listen to you in the future?"

So Sullivan's return to deal with David can actually be seen as a way to maintain his own authority.

"Alright, since you've made that decision, I'll listen to you. But now that David has gained some influence, he's not easy to deal with. Where should we begin?"

Seeing Sullivan's determination, Paten decided not to stop trying.

Anyway, the matter of the off-site tax avoidance law has been settled, so he doesn't have as many concerns about David as before.

"This purge in New York is actually a great opportunity. We can start from here, for example, by pardoning people like Dalick. If that succeeds, it will make the whole of America realize that even if the IRS puts these people in jail, the White House can change everything at any time if it wants to!"

The idea of ​​granting amnesty was proposed by the Freemasons, and after listening to it and thinking about it, Sullivan did indeed think that the plan was feasible.

"Pardon these people? They've already been convicted. If we pardon them without a reason, it'll be hard to explain to the public."

Padden certainly knew that if he could pardon Dalick and the others, he could not only suppress David and the IRS's momentum, but also make everyone realize that the White House was the boss.

But as he said, Dalik and others have already been presented with evidence of their crimes in court by Davido, and witnesses have also convicted them.

If they force a pardon when they can't overturn the verdict, then the White House would be accused of bending the law for personal gain. (End of Chapter)