American Tax Officer

Chapter 791: Chapter 396: Scapegoat Hero_2

By the end, Wylder turned his gaze toward David.

“Unless what?”

David immediately asked.

“Unless we are ‘coerced’ into signing the agreement!”

“Coerced!?”

David and the two others were initially taken aback, but they quickly grasped the other party’s meaning.

“Once this bill becomes law, the White House will benefit significantly, yet you don’t want to put in any effort or shoulder any pressure, haha.”

Obadiah couldn’t stand such tactics of making them take the blame and sarcastically commented.

“We have only one condition, agree to it, and we will sign. What do you think?”

“You…”

“Alright, Chief Inspector, I think we can agree to this condition!”

Before Obadiah could say anything more, David interrupted him directly.

He had indeed prepared for the possibility of impeachment if the White House refused to sign, but the reaction that would follow the impeachment of a President was too significant.

Moreover, that was not a process that could be completed quickly.

So, unless absolutely necessary, he didn’t want to resort to impeachment.

And now, even though Payden was making him take the blame, it wasn’t that big of a deal. After all, he was already seen as ‘thoroughly wicked’ in many people’s eyes.

He didn’t mind adding to his reputation one more infamy of threatening the White House.

As for not initiating the impeachment process, would that upset Katherine?

The answer was certainly yes.

After all, Katherine had agreed to help him because she saw a chance for immediate promotion.

But on the other hand, his previous agreement with Katherine was that he would initiate the impeachment process only if the White House refused to sign.

But now, as long as he took the blame, the White House would agree to sign, which didn’t technically violate the agreement with Katherine.

Worst case, he could give Katherine some extra help in 2028 as compensation.

“Very well, Inspector David still understands the greater good!”

Wylder showed a satisfied smile.

“Chief of Staff Wylder, since you’ve planned this, what do you need us to do next?”

“It’s simple, you’ll do this…”

“…”

…

The next day, at the Internal Revenue Service, in the Inspector General’s Office.

Kepel entered and said, “Chief Inspector, Mr. Pinkman has arrived!”

“Send him in!”

“Yes!”

A few minutes later, a portly, middle-aged man with glasses walked in; he was the editor-in-chief of the well-known group, the Washington Post.

“Mr. Pinkman, welcome!”

“Inspector David, good morning to you!”

“Please, take a seat!”

After shaking hands, David gestured for the other man to sit down.

However, at this moment, Pinkman was full of confusion.

First thing in the morning, he had received a phone call, and the person on the other end claimed to be the assistant from the office of the Chief Inspector of the Tax Bureau of the Internal Revenue Service.

That title referred to the renowned David, so naturally, he was quite startled.

But what was even more alarming came next—the assistant on the phone claimed that David himself wanted to meet him.

Listening to the news, he was absolutely petrified, and couldn’t stop pondering whether he had somehow offended David.

Thankfully, after racking his brains, he found no bad blood between himself and David. As the editor-in-chief of the Washington Post, he had never specifically targeted David or the Internal Revenue Service, which finally allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief.

But even so, upon arriving before David, he couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous.

After all, a man’s reputation precedes him, and David had not only accomplished the remarkable feat of sending many high-profile individuals to prison.

Now, propelled by his efforts, the landmark anti-offshore tax evasion bill had passed both the Senate and House of Representatives, catapulting David’s prestige to new heights—undeniably someone not to be trifled with.

“Don’t be nervous, Mr. Pinkman. I hold no ill will towards you or your newspaper,”

Hearing David’s reassuring words, Pinkman’s anxiety eased considerably. He then inquired, “May I ask, Chief Inspector David, what brings you to me today?”

“What is your opinion on the anti-offshore tax evasion bill, Mr. Pinkman?”

After a moment of thought, Pinkman replied, “From my personal viewpoint, the bill is indeed beneficial to the nation and its people, and so I support it!”

He spoke truthfully, as after all, the bill would shear the wool of the capitalists and it was anticipated that the ordinary people and middle-class would profit.

And since he wasn’t a capitalist, his natural inclination was to support the bill.

“And what are your thoughts on the President’s refusal to sign and his sending the bill back to the Senate?”

“This… Perhaps the President has his own political opinions…”

The online community could accuse Payden of being the spokesperson for capitalists.

But he was ultimately a public figure; therefore, he couldn’t attack Payden as overtly as the average citizen would.

After all, the President might not be able to handle those citizens, but making short work of a newspaper editor like him would be a breeze.

“Mr. Pinkman, there are no outsiders here. You can speak freely!”

David looked at him with a smile that carried a hint of amusement.

Upon seeing David’s gaze, Pinkman felt a certain pressure.

Had he said something wrong?

Or was David trying to coerce him into taking a side?

But in Washington D.C., powerful figures were a dime a dozen; why single out a mere newspaper editor for coercion?

Confused, Pinkman stated bluntly, “Chief Inspector David, since we are alone, please just tell me straight, what do you want me to do?”

“It’s nothing much, I have a piece of big news to give you, it’s simply a matter of whether you have the guts to report it!”

“Big news!”

Pinkman was startled and asked, “May I dare inquire, Chief Inspector David, what is this big news?”

David opened a drawer below, retrieved a document, and slid it towards Pinkman.

Without hesitation, Pinkman picked it up and began to scrutinize it.

Minutes later, after finishing the document, a look of utter shock crossed Pinkman’s face, and he asked, “Chief Inspector David, where did you get these?”

“You don’t need to know that. Just tell me whether you have the courage to report it!”

The document contained nothing else but dirt on Payden.

This was the bitter ploy that David and Chief of Staff Wylder had concocted the day before, leaking some of the President’s dirty laundry so that the White House could feign being pressured into signing.

Hearing David’s question, Pinkman’s face clouded over as he fell into deep thought.

He wondered what kind of big news David had for him—turns out it was dirt on the President, not just big news, but shockingly global news.

Yet, on the other hand, reporting on the President’s dirty laundry, although it would attract global attention, also carried substantial risks.

As mentioned before, Payden, as the head of state, might not have the power to control the Internal Revenue Service, but bringing down a mere editor was child’s play.

So at this moment, his mind was conflicted—on one hand, it was indeed a huge news story with massive potential traffic, and on the other, it might entail retaliation from the White House, possibly bringing on more trouble than it was worth.

After about three minutes of contemplation, Pinkman ultimately didn’t dare take such a significant risk, painfully declining, “Chief Inspector David, this news… I think I can’t handle it.”

“As the Washington Post, one of the most well-known media outlets in America, with you as its editor-in-chief, if you can’t handle it, then what media could?”

David’s words were tinged with sarcasm.

“This…”

For a moment, Pinkman was at a loss for words.