WASHINGTON — Gary Shapley, who became a folk hero to conservatives when he revealed the Justice Department played favorites in its investigation of former first son Hunter Biden, was ousted from his role as acting IRS commissioner just days after being elevated to the position, sources familiar with the shake-up told The Post Friday.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has replaced Shapley with deputy treasury secretary Michael Faulkender following a power struggle with key Trump adviser Elon Musk over the appointment.
“Trust must be brought back to the IRS, and I am fully confident that @TreasuryDepSec Michael Faulkender is the right man for the moment,” Bessent said in a statement on X Friday afternoon.
“Gary Shapley’s passion and thoughtfulness for approaching ways by which to create durable and lasting reforms at the IRS is essential to our work, and he remains among my most important senior advisors at the @USTreasury as we work together to rethink and reform the IRS,” he added.
The reorganization was first reported by the New York Times.
Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) had pressed the White House for Shapley to take over the IRS.
But Bessent felt left out of the decision-making — and asked President Trump if he could install Faulkender instead.
The acting commissioner will only be in place until former GOP congressman Billy Long can be vetted and confirmed by the Senate to lead the tax collection agency.
“It’s no secret President Trump has put together...
Daijiworld Media Network – Ganjam Ganjam, Jun 24: In a shocking incident that has drawn nationwide condemnation, two Dalit men in Odisha's Ganjam district were publicly humiliated and physically as...