Top IRS lawyer demoted amid DOGE push to gain taxpayer data: report

The Internal Revenue Service’s top lawyer has reportedly been demoted as Elon Musk’s DOGE agency continues its push to get access to confidential taxpayer data.William Paul, the IRS’ acting chief counsel, was recently removed from his position, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, citing multiple sources.Paul is expected to be replaced by another IRS lawyer, Andrew De Mello, who was nominated to be the Education Department’s inspector general during President Trump’s first administration, according to the sources.The exact circumstances surrounding Paul’s demotion weren’t immediately clear.News of the internal reshuffle surfaced as Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has been working at the IRS to gain access to its sensitive tax database — with fraud becoming a major focus of the deficit-cutting initiative....