IRS attorney general to resign amid disagreement with Trump administration | Donald Trump News

The attorney general of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the tax collection agency of the United States, is expected to resign amid rumors of a conflict with President Donald Trump in the White House.

Ken Kies has served as general counsel for the IRS, and assistant secretary of tax policy at the US Treasury.

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But this week, reports emerged that he is stepping down from his position at the IRS, in the latest sign of turmoil in the Trump administration.

On Friday, newspapers, including Reuters and The Wall Street Journal, reported that Kies had been “forced” into his role, citing anonymous sources familiar with the situation.

Kies reportedly warned members of the Trump administration not to issue orders to the IRS about tax audits.

The Internal Revenue Code prohibits the president, vice president and senior staff in their offices from requesting that the IRS “conduct or suspend an investigation or other investigation of a taxpayer”.

It is not clear what, if any, request from the White House sparked the controversy.

But this law is there to ensure that the president and his friends do not use the tax register as a political tool against those who are suspected of competing with them.

Things like this have happened before. Former President Richard Nixon, for example, wanted to establish a “ruthless” IRS chief who would “go after our enemies without going after our friends”.

These statements eventually became part of the evidence presented at Nixon’s impeachment trial, leading to his resignation in 1974.

Trump has also faced accusations that he, too, tried to use the IRS to his advantage.

Since taking office for a second term, the Republican leader he has threatened to strip Harvard University’s tax-exempt status, as part of a dispute with the school over its response to pro-Palestinian protests and legal actions.

Trump also sued the IRS in January, alleging that it was he who provided the foreign contractor who leaked his 2017 taxes.

This tax return became the subject of intense media coverage, including coverage in the New York Times in 2019. Trump sought $10bn in damages from the IRS, although it was argued that his suit fell outside the statute of limitations and represented a major conflict of interest.

The IRS, after all, is under Trump’s administration as part of the executive branch, as is the Department of Justice (DOJ), which represented the tax agency in the case.

Critics described the case as an unprecedented case of a president suing his government.

In May, the Justice Department announced a settlement in court that would have given Trump and his family immunity from an IRS tax audit. It would also create a $1.8bn “anti-arms fund” to compensate those deemed to be unfairly victimized by the government.

That settlement, however, was struck down last week by US District Judge Kathleen Williams in southern Florida.

He the accused The Department of Justice has “abandoned its responsibility to promptly protect the interests of the United States” and described the resolution as a case of selfish government.

Regarding claims that the IRS cannot audit Trump or his family, Williams cited Section 7217 of the Internal Revenue Code, which prohibits executive interference in audits.

“Enacting such demands is inconsistent with the duties of DOJ attorneys (and IRS CEO Bisignano) to uphold the law and protect the public interest,” Williams wrote.

Media reports indicate that Kies has refused to work in IRS dispute resolution.

Reuters also reported that Kies differed from the Trump administration on issues such as property taxes, including tax payments to landowners who limit the development of their land.

The former chief executive of the Treasury, Brian Morrissey, is said to have resigned in May over the deal.

Kies previously worked as a tax attorney for Trump before joining the administration.