Following up on my previous post, Trump Nominates Donald Korb To Serve A Second Stint As IRS Chief Counsel (May 2, 2025): New York Times, Trump Pulls Nominee for Top I.R.S. Lawyer:
President Trump withdrew his nomination of Donald L. Korb, a veteran tax attorney, to serve as the top lawyer at the Internal Revenue Service after Mr. Korb came under fire from the far-right activist Laura Loomer, deepening a leadership crisis at the tax agency.
The Senate had been preparing to vote to confirm Mr. Korb to be chief counsel of the I.R.S., a powerful post that oversees how the government interprets the tax code and defends those views in U.S. Tax Court.
This year, the I.R.S. legal office has been at the center of the Trump administration’s attempts to use tax information to help deport migrants. It has also been caught up in Mr. Trump’s efforts to strip liberal organizations, and universities like Harvard, of their tax-exempt status. Some I.R.S. officials have worried that following through on those initiatives could violate federal tax law.
Wall Street Journal, Trump Withdraws His Pick for Top IRS Lawyer:
Earlier this week, conservative activist Laura Loomer posted criticism of Korb on social media. She cited his support in committee from Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D., R.I.). and his 2015 donations to former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and then-Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.), who both ran against Trump for the 2016 Republican nomination for president. Loomer described Korb’s nomination as a “betrayal of MAGA promises” and warned that he could make it harder for the Trump administration to investigate liberal nonprofit groups.
Late Friday, she quoted Trump’s post about Korb and added “#LOOMERED.”
- Bloomberg, Trump Pulls IRS Top Lawyer Nomination After Loomer Blast
- Tax Notes, Trump Withdraws Nominee for IRS Chief Counsel
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