Donald Trump appointee Billy Long’s two-month tenure at the Internal Revenue Service was littered with missteps, confusion and a bitter turf war with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent that he ended up losing, the New York Times is reporting.
According to the report, what started as a celebration when Long, a loyal Trump ally, was sworn into office quickly fell apart when Bessent balked at giving the Missouri lawmaker free rein to reform the agency that underwent a massive purge of employees as part of the government-wide Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) bloodletting.
As Long quickly attempted to make his mark within the agency, Bessent grew alarmed at the new IRS head’s belief he ran an independent branch of the government.
“Within days, Mr. Long began to lose his grip on a job that he had held for barely a month. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had already ousted one White House-installed I.R.S. commissioner this year. He would soon orchestrate the removal of another, culminating in the agency having its seventh leader since January," the Times is reporting, adding, “At the center of Mr. Bessent’s concerns was the fact that Mr. Long had been trying to put together an independent plan for the I.R.S. without informing the Treasury Department.”
According to the Times, Long was stunned to find out that he had to run every move by Bessent, and “wondered why he had been asked to do the job in the first place.”
The report also notes that Long started off on the wrong foot and made some early gaffes that alarmed White House officials and raised concerns he wasn’t up to the job.
“Over several weeks, Trump administration officials discussed alternative roles for Mr. Long, and eventually, Sergio Gor, the White House personnel director, informed Mr. Long that he would be moving to a new job,” the Times report states before adding that insiders described Bessent as “territorial” and seeking total control of the beleaguered I.R.S.”
You can read more here.