By Richard Rubin

WASHINGTON -- President Trump said he is withdrawing the nomination of Donald Korb to be the Internal Revenue Service's top lawyer, pulling the plug on the pick just days before Korb was set to be confirmed by the Senate.

Trump wrote on Truth Social that he was ending Korb's nomination without providing a reason. The sudden move means continued turmoil at the top ranks of the tax agency, which has seen a revolving door in its most senior jobs all year and the departure of tens of thousands of employees.

Korb was nominated to be the chief counsel, one of two-Senate confirmed posts at the IRS. The chief counsel oversees the IRS's lawyers, who litigate cases in U.S. Tax Court, write regulations and advise IRS employees on how to apply the tax code.

Korb is a senior lawyer at Sullivan & Cromwell. He served as IRS chief counsel during the George W. Bush administration.

During his confirmation hearing, Korb said the chief counsel should provide correct and impartial legal advice.

"If confirmed, I will do my utmost to carry out the responsibilities entrusted to me as Chief Counsel for the Internal Revenue Service, and I will endeavor to protect the Internal Revenue Service as an institution, " he said.

Korb was set to become the fifth IRS chief counsel this year. Marjorie Rollinson, who had been picked by President Joe Biden and was confirmed by the Senate, resigned at the start of the new administration. William Paul was acting chief counsel before being pushed aside during a dispute over sharing tax data with immigration authorities. His successor as acting chief counsel, Andrew De Mello, lasted a few months. Kenneth Kies, who is the top tax policy official at the Treasury Department, is currently acting chief counsel.

Korb's confirmation hearing was contentious at times. Democrats pressed him on a closed-door comment he made to committee staff that acting IRS commissioner Douglas O'Donnell should have been shot for resigning during the tax-filing season. Korb said during the hearing that he disagreed with O'Donnell's decision and was using a figure of speech.

The Senate Finance Committee backed his nomination 15-12 last month and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R., S.D.) last week began the formal process of setting up a confirmation vote.

A spokeswoman for Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R., Idaho) declined to comment Friday.

Write to Richard Rubin at richard.rubin@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

November 14, 2025 15:44 ET (20:44 GMT)

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