By Richard Rubin and C. Ryan Barber
WASHINGTON -- President Trump named Gary Shapley -- the IRS criminal investigator who criticized the government for its handling of Hunter Biden's tax filings -- as the tax agency's acting commissioner, according to a memo reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.
Shapley is the Internal Revenue Service's fourth leader in less than four months as the Trump administration rapidly shrinks the agency. During the Biden administration, Shapley rose to prominence as an IRS supervisory criminal agent who came forward to Congress and contended that the Justice Department had slow-walked its tax investigation into Hunter Biden.
Shapley replaces Melanie Krause, who had been acting commissioner since late February and announced her departure after the Treasury Department and the Department of Homeland Security signed a data-sharing agreement aimed at helping the government find some immigrants suspected of crimes. Krause replaced Douglas O'Donnell, a longtime agency employee who retired in February. O'Donnell replaced Danny Werfel, who resigned on Inauguration Day.
Trump's pick to run the IRS permanently is Billy Long, a former Republican congressman from Missouri. He hasn't yet had a confirmation hearing in the Senate.
Shapley's ascension came on the annual individual income-tax filing deadline, in the middle of the year's busiest moment for the IRS.
The White House didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Write to Richard Rubin at richard.rubin@wsj.com and C. Ryan Barber at ryan.barber@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
April 15, 2025 19:35 ET (23:35 GMT)
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