President Trump reportedly asked Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to prioritize the confirmation vote of his nominee for the Internal Revenue Service chief counsel over Attorney General William Barr’s confirmation, The New York Times reports. White House aides reportedly said the confirmation of Michael Desmond was the top priority for months after the passage of the tax bill in 2017, and Trump spoke to McConnell himself—telling him that Desmond was growing tired of the process and considering withdrawing. The Senate reportedly did not comply with Trump’s request, confirming Barr first and then Desmond on Feb. 27. Bloomberg also previously reported that Desmond had “briefly advised” the Trump Organization on tax issues before Trump took office. The news comes after the House Ways and Means Committee chairman requested that the IRS hand over six years of Trump's tax returns to Congress by April 10 using a tax provision that permits them to access the records of any tax filer. In his role, Desmond reportedly handles “all matters pertaining to the interpretation, administration and enforcement of the Internal Revenue Code, as well as all other legal matters.”
