Section 7602 of the Internal Revenue Code grants the Internal Revenue Service broad authority to examine "any books, papers, records, or other data which may be relevant or material to [an] inquiry." The IRS exercises this authority by issuing summonses in the course of administrative investigations of either a taxpayer's civil liability or possible criminal conduct. As this column has recounted, 26 U.S.C. §7609(f) authorizes the IRS to obtain "John Doe summonses" directing a third party to provide information relating to a class of otherwise unidentified individuals. See Jeremy H. Temkin, "John Doe Summonses: Procedural Hurdles With Limited Review," N.Y.L.J. (Nov. 14, 2019).