Two Senators are looking into a IRS Whistleblower’s Allegations that at least One Political Appointee at the Treasury Department may have tried to Interfere with an Audit of President Trump and/or Vice President Pence.
Staff Members for Sens. Charles E. Grassley (R-IA) and Ron Wyden (D-OR), the Chairman and Ranking Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, Met with the IRS Whistleblower earlier this month. Follow-Up Interviews are Expected to further Explore the Whistleblower’s Allegations.
It could Not be Learned to what Extent the Senators consider the Whistleblower a Credible Source. Trump Administration Officials have previously played Down the Complaint’s Significance and Suggested that it is Politically Motivated.
The Whistleblower, a Career IRS Official, initially filed a Complaint in July, Reporting that he was Told that at least One Treasury Political Appointee attempted to Improperly Interfere with the Annual Audit of the President’s and/or Vice President’s Tax Returns.
In recent weeks, the Whistleblower filed Additional Documentation related to the Original Complaint, which was given to Congressional Officials in July.
The IRS Whistleblower Complaint was First Disclosed in an August Court filing by Ways and Means Committee Chairman Rep. Richard E. Neal (D-MA, 1st District). It raises the Prospect that Trump Administration Officials at Treasury tried to Improperly Interfere with the IRS Audit Process. That Process is supposed to be Walled off from Political Interference.
Neal made the Disclosure as Part of his Battle with the Trump Administration over the President’s Tax Returns, which the Treasury Department has Refused to furnish. At the time, Neal said the Whistleblower Complaint raises “Serious and Urgent Concerns” about the integrity of the IRS Audit Process.
The Treasury Inspector General has Opened a Review of the Treasury Department’s Handling of House Democrats’ Request for Trump’s Tax Returns. Asked whether that Review would look at the IRS Whistleblower’s Complaint, Rich Delmar, the Acting Inspector General, said in an Email that “the inquiry is ongoing, and will take into account that aspects of the underlying matter are the subject of litigation.”
The Whistleblower sent the Complaint to Grassley, Neal, and the Treasury Department Inspector General for Tax Administration, a Separate Watchdog at Treasury.
In a Statement in October, Grassley Appeared to Criticize Neal for Not doing Enough to Verify the Complaint before Disclosing Details about it, saying in a Statement, “Talking about the existence of a complaint before taking the time to speak with the whistleblower or follow up on the whistleblower’s complaint is irresponsible.”
Wyden also Demanded a Senate Investigation of the Whistleblower’s Complaint in early October, writing on Twitter, “A bipartisan committee effort to get to the bottom of this should have been started months ago.”
The IRS whistleblower Deals with a Technical but still Potentially Controversial Topic: the Handling of the Annual Tax Audits of the President and Vice President. The Initial IRS Complaint, filed by a Career IRS Official, Relays Concerns from Another IRS Official that at least One Treasury Department Political Appointee Tried to Improperly Interfere with the Annual Tax Audit of Trump and/or Pence.
“Obviously, it’s serious anytime an allegation of this nature is leveled. That said, it has to be substantiated and there has to be an understanding of what contact took place,” said Mark Everson, who Served as the IRS Commissioner during the George W. Bush Administration.
The IRS Whistleblower Complaint could Deepen Concerns that the Trump Administration has Sought to Exempt the President from Long-Standing Rules Governing Taxpayer Information. Tax Experts have Expressed Alarm that a Political Appointee at the Treasury Department would Ask IRS Career Employees about Any Individual’s Private Audit.
“Historically, tax administration is solely the domain of the IRS,” said John Koskinen, a Former IRS Commissioner who Served in the Obama and Trump Administrations. “It’s an important policy that the administration of the tax code is nonpartisan, treat everybody fairly, and not have any outside interference.”
“I am aware of public reports of a whistleblower complaint related to the mandatory audit program of the president and vice president,” Wyden said in a Statement. “Because any discussion of this matter may implicate section 6103 privacy requirements or whistleblower protections, I cannot comment further on the matter.”
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