Just two days after being named interim IRS commissioner, Gary Shapley is out of the job, CBS News has confirmed.
His roughly 48 hours heading the agency where he's spent most of his career was marked by an internal struggle involving billionaire Elon Musk, who backed Shapley taking the job, according to two sources familiar with the dispute.
Shapley's appointment to the agency's top post triggered a series of back-channel discussions. Sources have told CBS News they centered on Musk's role in bypassing Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's authority to have Shapley — best-known for speaking out about alleged political influence in the Hunter Biden tax probe — installed in the post.
Bessent complained to President Trump that Shapley had been installed at the urging of Musk and sought Mr. Trump's approval to undo the decision, according to multiple sources.
Deputy Treasury Secretary Michael Faulkender — who is now the agency's acting head, a Treasury spokesperson confirmed — also voiced concerns with Shapley's appointment, and Bessent sided with Faulkender, multiple sources said.
Bessent voiced support for Faulkender's appointment in a social media post Friday afternoon, saying, "trust must be brought back to the IRS" and calling Faulkender "the right man for the moment."
Shapley is expected to continue serving as an adviser to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, sources said. Bessent also confirmed that Shapley will continue working at the Treasury Department.
"Gary Shapley's...
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