Another Whistleblower:
Federal employee warned of 'possible misconduct' with IRS audit program
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By
Lauren Fox and
Ellie Kaufman, CNN
Updated 2:38 PM ET, Tue October 1, 2019
(CNN)
The House Ways and Means Committee received information from a federal employee at the end of July alleging that there was "possible misconduct" and "inappropriate efforts to influence" the Presidential audit program, according to a letter from the committee's chairman.
Committee Chairman
Richard Neal is suing the US Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service to obtain six years of President Donald Trump tax returns as well as records from several of his business entities. The Presidential tax audit program, conducted by the IRS, automatically audits every incoming President's taxes and Neal has argued that he wants the records to make sure the Presidential tax audit program is working properly or if necessary make legislative fixes.
Trump and his defenders have argued there is no legislative purpose for the committee to have access to Trump's returns and that Neal, a Massachusetts Democrat, is only interested in getting information that could be damaging to the President.
Neal wrote to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin about the complaint, and included a version of the letter in an August court document.
On July 29, 2019, the Committee received an unsolicited communication from a Federal employee setting forth credible allegations of 'evidence of possible misconduct'-specifically, potential 'inappropriate efforts to influence' the mandatory audit program," Neal wrote in his letter to Mnuchin dated August 8. "This is a grave charge that appreciably heightens the Committee's concerns about the absence of appropriate safeguards as part of the mandatory audit program and whether statutory codification of such program or other remedial, legislative measures are warranted."
Federal employee warned of 'possible misconduct' with IRS audit program - CNNPolitics
