The IRS recently filed notices of a federal tax lien against Republican Sen. Jim Justice of West Virginia — the latest example of ongoing financial troubles that have trailed the former governor, members of his family and their network of businesses over the years.
One of the documents from the IRS — obtained by POLITICO — lists Justice and his wife, Cathy, as having a total balance of more than $8 million in unpaid assessments.
The documents represent the only instance of the IRS filing a lien against Justice personally, according to a public Greenbrier County database that goes back decades.
A spokesperson for Justice did not respond to a request for comment.
It wasn’t immediately clear why the IRS decided to move forward with the lien at this time. The IRS filed two documents. Both indicate they were prepared and signed Sept. 30, and stamped Oct. 2 by a clerk for Greenbrier County.
But according to the IRS website, “generally the IRS can pursue collection of a tax liability up to 10 years from the date it was assessed. A Notice of Federal Tax Lien may be filed any time within that 10-year period.”
One of the assessments from the IRS is dated Nov. 25, 2015, appearing to put the agency near the end of its 10-year window for taking action.
The IRS, reached for comment on the lien against Justice, said that “by law federal employees cannot discuss specific tax situations” and referred to a general FAQ on liens on the agency’s website.
A reliable ally for President Donald Trump, Justice joined the Senate in January by flipping the seat previously held by retiring Sen. Joe Manchin, a long-time Democrat-turned-Independent. The tax periods listed on the latest IRS document are 2009, 2017 and 2022, the first of which was before Justice was governor and all of which were before he announced his Senate bid.
Justice served as governor for two terms in West Virginia. During that time he faced a steady drip of news reports about the finances of his business empire and his family, which he repeatedly bristled against and repeatedly vowed that things would work out in the end.
“I’m super respectful and I try to answer any question,” Justice told reporters during a briefing in West Virginia in 2021.
“I’ve told everyone that if you’ll tend to the business of the state of West Virginia as I’m tending to the business of the state and you’ll just stay out of my family’s personal stuff you’ll find the final outcomes will be exactly what I’ve told you they’ll be. They’ll be worked out,” he added.
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