Cnn
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The acting commissioner of the internal income service, Melanie Krause, informed her staff on Tuesday that she leaves the agency in the middle of internal chaos and the exodus of several senior IRS officials, according to two current IRS employees and a former IRS employee.
Krause’s decision to accept the agency’s deferred resignation offer comes in the IRS and the Ministry of Internal Security Ministry finalizing an agreement on Monday to provide sensitive data to taxpayers to the federal immigration authorities to help the Trump administration locate and expel undocumented immigrants.
The controversial data sharing agreement between agencies was a factor that played a role in Krause’s decision to leave, according to a source knowing the situation. The source said that the latest version of the agreement with which Krause had been involved and examined was different from the final agreement. Krause learned the details of the news agreement, said the source.
There were other reasons why Krause wanted to leave, said the source, including the management in which the agency was going and the exodus of several employees of career senior executives in the last days.
The IRS saw three leaders leaving this year – an unprecedented upheaval level for the besieged tax collection agency.
The IRS commissioner on the occasion of Biden and confirmed in the Senate, Danny Werfel, resigned on the day of the inauguration. The acting commissioner who succeeded him, Doug O’Donnell, refused to sign a data sharing agreement with the DHS in February. Shortly after, he retired.
Krause then took over as an actor. She had only been at IRS for three and a half years before her decision to leave.
“Melanie Krause directed the IRS through an extraordinary period of change. While we focus on the IT modernization and reorganize the agency to better serve the taxpayer, we are also decomposing the data silos which, for too long, have been in court on the path of waste, fraud and mistreatment and abuse of criminals in justice, “said a spokesperson for the Department of Treasury in a declaration. “We believe that these objectives are essential to a more effective government and a safer country. We wish Melanie on her next efforts. ”
According to a source with direct knowledge of the issue.
This is why the secretary of the treasure, Scott Bessent, finally ended up being the person who signed the “memorandum of understanding” with the DHS, said this source.
As CNN reported on Tuesday, the dispute concerning the data sharing agreement sparked multiple resignations among senior IRS officials.
Krause and other officials have been pressure in recent weeks with the Treasury and other administration officials in the midst of broader discussions on the changes provided for in IRS, according to a person familiar with talks.
An absolute priority for the administration is to reassign the criminal investigators of the IRS to carry out immigration inquiries to support the DHS in the work of application of the borders. Discussions have also included the possibility of moving the IRS criminal investigation agency to be part of the Treasury, the person familiar with the case said.
This story has been updated with additional reports.
Evan Perez of CNN contributed to this report.
