The New York Times replaced the representatives of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on Friday as his appointment sparked a power struggle between Treasury Secretary Scott Bescent and the Treasury Secretary of the Government’s Department of Efficiency and Elon Musk.
The replacement took place after Gary Shapley complained to President Donald Trump of avoiding Bessent’s office to secure Shapley’s position, according to the NYT. The outlet cited people who said they were familiar with the situation. Shapley was a longtime IRS agent who accused the Biden administration of Justice Department of dragging out Hunter Biden’s investigation into tax issues.
IRS answer To the Ministry of Finance.
Bescent said his aide Michael Foulkender will replace Shapley.
“The trust must be brought back to the IRS. I am totally certain that Michael Folkender is the right person for now.” I wrote it.
White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt did not elaborate on the reported dispute between Bescent and Musk, but said, “I am not a secret president.” [Donald] According to the era, Trump has put together a team of people who are extremely passionate about issues affecting our country.
“Disagreements are a normal part of a healthy policy process, and we know that in the end, everyone will serve President Trump’s joy,” added Leavitt.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bax1wv2jcnk
The reported struggle is one of several differences between Musk and Trump’s cabinet officials. Musk and Secretary of State Marco Rubio clashed in early March over the former push for Swift and massive cuts at the State Department. Politics.
Shapley’s short-lived stint is one of some of the confusion the IRS endured. He replaced his previous agent, Melanie Kraus, who resigned earlier this month after the Treasury agreed to provide illegal immigrants’ tax data to immigrants and customs.
Klaus himself was in that position just two months after another interim commissioner, Douglas O’Donnell, resigned. Many IRS staff have reportedly been resigned or kicked out.
In praise of Shapley’s “passion and thoughtfulness” in supporting IRS reform, Bessent added that Shapley will remain “one of my most important senior advisors” to the Treasury and will continue to contribute to IRS reform.
Shapley and another IRS special agent, Joseph Ziegler, had been researching Hunter Biden’s tax affairs for years before blew whit in 2022 with young Biden’s tax evasion on $8.3 million in revenue. statement. (Related: Hunter Biden pleads guilty to taxes)
Due to their whistleblowing, both agents faced “political persecution by the IRS, including several attempts to trust their reputation and ruin their careers,” the statement said, adding that the Treasury had restored their careers by hiring them as senior advisors.
Both agents I said Lawmakers who investigated former President Joe Biden were disappointed despite potentially fish financial transactions involving him, his son Hunter and their family business. They also discussed with federal officials and said they must protect themselves from embracing.
“After Gary [Shapley] And Joseph Ziegler completed an ongoing annual survey. We ensure that both of them are in the role of senior government to enable their findings to be translated into meaningful policy changes,” Bescent said.
