The IRS has frequently been used as a tool of retribution, with independent journalist Matt Taibbi finding himself under investigation two years ago after he testified before Congress about Hunter Biden's laptop.

However, two observers recently hoped that the man President Donald Trump has put forward to lead the agency could provide a breath of fresh air. 

Former Missouri Republican congressman nominated to lead the IRS

According to Breitbart, that suggestion was put forward on Tuesday by reporter Eric Eggers and best-selling author Peter Schweizer.

Eggers and Schweizer are hosts of the podcast "Drill Down," and they took a look at former Missouri Republican Rep. Billy Long, whom Trump nominated to serve as IRS commissioner late last year.

Long was first elected to Missouri's 7th Congressional District in 2010 after former Republican Rep. Roy Blunt was elected to the U.S. Senate.

He was subsequently elected to an additional five terms and made a Senate bid following Blunt's retirement but was defeated in the primary race by current Missouri Sen. Eric Schmitt.

The IRS has long been used to go after political opponents

During their podcast, Eggers and Schweizer reviewed prior instances in which IRS powers had been abused for political purposes.

This included how in 2013, IRS official Lois Lerner targeted conservative groups, particularly ones that had organized protests against then-President Barack Obama.

Fox News reported that House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady and Tax Policy Subcommittee Chairman Peter Roskam both called for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate Lerner's actions.

That was far from being the first such scandal, as Eggers and Schweizer recalled how during the 1930, President Franklin D. Roosevelt had the IRS go after steel tycoon Andrew Mellon as well as his political rivals.

Two women who had accused President Bill Clinton of sexual assault, Juanita Broaddrick and Paula Jones, were both audited by the IRS as well.

Former whistleblower Gary Shapley to serve as acting IRS commissioner

Long's confirmation hearing has yet to be scheduled, meaning that the IRS will for now be overseen by newly named acting Commissioner Gary Shapley.

Shapley made headlines in 2023 when he and fellow IRS whistleblower Joseph Ziegler told lawmakers that efforts to investigate Hunter Biden had been thwarted.

An IRS spokesperson praised Shapley in a statement provided to CNN, saying that he will "be a great asset to the IRS as we rethink and reform this crucial organization."