American Tax Officer

Now that David had made this statement in front of the whole world, if he were to still forcefully interrupt the questioning about the dark tax legislation, it would seem somewhat unfair and lacking in grace.

After all, debates are naturally a forum where everyone can freely express their inquiries on desired topics.

"You've been asking me for a while now, and I've explained and responded to everything in turn; it's my turn to ask you now, so you naturally need to provide some answers, only then can we exemplify the fairness of today's debate!"

Thinking this, Senator Phipps could only feign magnanimity and reply, "Alright Director David, since it's a debate, of course, you can ask me some questions."

"Good, Senator Phipps, I wonder if you still remember the closure of the Ingalls Shipyard in your district six months ago?"

With that said, Phipps's expression, which had remained calm, suddenly stiffened, and his right index finger on the table trembled slightly.

"Interesting, judging by Senator Phipps's facial expression and other subtle body reactions, it seems that there is more to the so-called closure of the Ingalls Shipyard six months ago?"

"Hmm, according to psychological analysis, when a person feels guilty about something, their eyes will flicker with uncertainty, and just now, when Director David mentioned the shutdown of the Ingalls Shipyard, Senator Phipps quickly covered it up, but I still noticed that he indeed showed signs of panic,"

These involuntary micro-expressions went unnoticed by the average viewer, but experts in facial expressions and psychology invited by the television station noticed something amiss and were intrigued to provide their analyses.

"What, Senator Phipps is flustered?"

"This is interesting. Previously, Phipps had been continuously attacking Director David and the IRS for the dark tax legislation, and now is he about to get a taste of his own medicine?"

"As far as I know, this shipyard had over 3,000 employees at the time, and when it was shut down, the workers took to the streets in protest, making quite a scene back then."

"..."

With the analysis of the television experts, the online community was immediately abuzz with heated discussion.

Meanwhile, in Oakland, a city located on the east coast of the San Francisco Bay Area adjacent to San Francisco and the location of the former Ingalls Shipyard,

at this moment in the city, the shipyard workers who had been laid off and were still unemployed held their breaths and clenched their fists.

The main reason the Ingalls Shipyard was shut down was that for some unknown reason, Senator Phipps, as the area's representative, did not argue the case vigorously enough before the congressional committee that was established.

Consequently, when the shutdown was determined, all the laid-off workers took to the streets to denounce Phipps en masse, although ultimately, due to Phipps's influence and power, the matter was eventually dropped without further ado.

And now, hearing that there might be some unknown hidden information about this shipyard, the anger of these laid-off workers was instantly reignited.

Live broadcast from KTLA-TV Station.

The truth is if an average person were to ask this question, Senator Phipps, an experienced operator, would not have shown any signs of disturbance.

Unfortunately for him, David was no ordinary individual; he was the top 'executioner' at the IRS, having put away not just criminals but also sending several high-ranking officials to prison.

Thinking of David's various accomplishments and facing his sudden inquiry into an issue that was very sensitive for him, Phipps felt a moment of panic due to being caught off guard.

But he quickly regained his composure and asked, feigning confusion, "This happened in my district at the time, of course, I remember it. Is there a problem?"

"The initial intention behind the closure of this shipyard was because Congress wanted to cut back a portion of the federal budget. At the time, Congress selected three locations: the West Coast's San Pedro Shipyard, the Southeast Shipyard in Wilmington, and the Ingalls Shipyard in your district. They were going to close one among these three."

"Ingalls Shipyard is one of the main shipyards for the America Navy and the Coast Guard, having built numerous destroyers, cruisers, and amphibious warfare ships. With all these contributions evident, in theory, as long as you, Senator Phipps, had fought for it in Congress, there was a significant chance that this shipyard would not have been chosen for closure.

Yet, you did nothing and simply watched it shut down, causing over 3000 people to lose their livelihoods..."

"Hold on!"

Phipps could no longer bear to listen and interrupted with a hand gesture, "I don't know where you got your information, claiming I didn't fight vigorously in Congress or that I caused over 3000 people to lose their jobs. That is utter nonsense. As the representative of that district, what benefit would the closure of this shipyard bring me? Speak up!"

David responded with a slight smile, "Of course, there is a benefit. According to the information I have heard, when Congress was choosing to close one of these three shipyards, people associated with the Saint Perod Shipyard approached you. They brought you One Million USD and also promised to provide funding and resources for your mid-term election campaign.

After weighing the pros and cons, you agreed to their terms and thus did not advocate vigorously in front of the committee. This led to the closure of the shipyard!"

David had obtained these details through his "Golden Finger," so naturally, it was accurate. The reason he presented it using the uncertain phrase "according to the information I have heard" was mainly because if he directly claimed to have this evidence, it would mean that the IRS must get involved in the investigation.

And with Phipps being a Congressman, in order not to cause panic and be targeted by other members of Congress, he definitely couldn't investigate and arrest him like he would other officials and criminals.

But no matter, his objective had been achieved, which was to embarrass Phipps in front of the entire nation and to spark suspicion from others.

"It's clear that Senator Phipps is rattled, which proves he indeed has something to hide!"

"Based on his behavior and expressions according to psychology, maybe what Director David said is not just a rumor... maybe it's true?"

Experts from the TV station had made their own analysis based on observing Phipps's facial expressions and demeanor.

"What? Senator Phipps decided to close the shipyard in his own district because he received a bribe and was offered certain terms by the Saint Perod Shipyard?"

"Saint Perod Shipyard is a part of the General Dynamics National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, which in turn is a subsidiary of General Dynamics. As for General Dynamics, it is the world's sixth largest defense contractor and one of America's biggest military-industrial groups. It also ranks 214 in the Forbes Global 2000, making it a deservedly huge conglomerate.

Now I understand why Senator Phipps would let the shipyard in his jurisdiction close!"

"Gaining some support from such a giant conglomerate, compared to losing some votes and prestige by closing a shipyard in one's own district, the former indeed seems to have a higher cost-benefit ratio!"

"Everybody, don't rush to judgments so fast, after all, Director David is also just going by hearsay and hasn't provided any concrete evidence."
Your journey continues with empire

"..."

At this moment, the internet was in an uproar because of this scandal coming to light.

Meanwhile, the laid-off workers from the original Ingalls Shipyard suddenly became incredibly agitated.

Although David said he had only heard the whispers, without any concrete evidence, what he said was logically sound and made sense.

Given the significant contributions of Ingalls to America, as long as Phipps had argued his case to Congress, there was indeed a substantial chance that the shipyard would be retained.

The only plausible explanation for Phipps's lack of resistance, besides what David now mentioned about receiving bribes and support from the shipyard, even from the company behind it, was no longer defensible.