Jake Tapper Plays Video For Ron Johnson Of Him Decrying IRS 'Weaponization' Amid Trump-Harvard Feud

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On CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) was asked about President Trump's ongoing effort to strip Harvard's tax-exempt status.

Transcript

00:00You have long been opposed on principle to the IRS being used to punish an administration's opponents in any way.

00:07You were very outspoken about that during the Obama administration.

00:10We would have you on all the time to talk about it.

00:12And here you are during the Biden administration at a hearing on government weaponization.

00:17Take a listen.

00:19My eyes began opening to this reality with the disclosure of how the Obama administration

00:24weaponized the IRS to harass Tea Party groups by denying them tax-exempt status.

00:31President Trump is out in the open threatening to target Harvard,

00:36a move that the conservative editorial board of The Wall Street Journal says is unwise and sets a bad precedent.

00:42Do you oppose his instruction to the IRS to take away Harvard's tax-exempt status?

00:49Well, first of all, what I would like to do is simplify and rationalize our tax code

00:54so we really don't try and socially and economically engineer the economy through the tax code.

01:01It should be simple.

01:02It should be rational.

01:03It should raise the revenue we have.

01:05The tax-exempt status of all kinds of entities kind of scratch your head.

01:09So many of these entities, for example, universities, pretty easy for them to not make a profit.

01:13So what values that tax-exempt status have?

01:15So, again, that's part of the complication of our tax code.

01:20We need to simplify it, and that's certainly what I'm trying to do, certainly with this reconciliation bill.

01:25Right, but President Trump is out there instructing his IRS to target Harvard,

01:32and you've been very outspoken about when targeting was done of conservative groups during the Obama years,

01:39which he apologized for ultimately.

01:41And I'm wondering if you are also upset at this.

01:45Well, in the past, people have used tax-exempt status on churches and religious universities as well.

01:54Again, that's why I don't like a complex tax code.

01:56I don't want anybody to be using the tax code in this type of manner.

02:01And so what I'd say is let's simplify the tax code.

02:03That's the solution here.

02:05All right.

02:06Senator Ron Johnson, thank you so much for your time today.

02:08I really appreciate it.

02:09I'm honored to be with you.

02:24So let's pray you.

02:26One more time today.

02:28Take care you loudly.

02:30Take care.

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