Washington DC - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday shared that he and his wife are getting audited for $33,558 in a ranting post that slammed the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as a "total sham."

Hegseth took to social media platform X to reveal the audit along with a photo of the letter he claims to have received from the IRS.

"Of course, the outgoing Biden IRS rushed an 'audit' of the incoming SecDef," Hegseth claimed in the post. "Total sham."

"The part of 'norms and 'decency' strikes again. We will never back down," Hegseth said, slamming his political opponents while not sharing enough information to verify that the letter was both from the IRS and issued when he claims it was.

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Prior to becoming the Department of Defense, Hegseth worked as a host on Rupert Murdoch's Fox News network and was paid more than $2 million a year. He also earned hundreds of thousands from speaking engagements.

As a result, Hegseth faces a significant step back in salary now that he is the Secretary of Defense, earning the not-insignificant sum of $246,000 per year.

It was revealed in the letter that Hegseth shared, which he claims is from the IRS, that he owes a balance of $33,558.16 to the government in unpaid taxes and fees.

Hegseth faced immense public backlash upon his appointment by President Donald Trump – not due to tax discrepancies, though, but instead to accusations of alcohol abuse and sexual misconduct.

In January, the sister of Hegseth's ex-wife alleged that her sibling had once hidden in the closet because "she feared for her personal safety." It is but one of many accusations that Hegseth has firmly denied.