Trump's pick to lead the IRS raked in donations to pay off campaign debt after he was announced
Source: Politico
04/16/2025 01:16 PM EDT
President Donald Trump’s pick for Internal Revenue Service commissioner recently cleared a substantial debt from his failed 2022 Senate bid, using campaign contributions that rolled in after Trump announced his intent to nominate him to lead the tax agency, according to federal filings.
Former Republican Rep. Billy Long raked in roughly $137,000 in campaign donations in January — the month after Trump said he would nominate him to serve in Trump’s administration — according to campaign finance disclosures filed late Tuesday with the Federal Election Commission.
Long then paid back an outstanding personal loan of $130,000 he had made to his now-dormant 2022 U.S. Senate campaign in February. A number of the donors are affiliated with firms in the tax consultancy industry. The Lever was first to report on the filings.
Before January’s flood of donations, Long had only raised roughly $36,000 through his latent Senate campaign committee over the last two years, much of which came in December. The IRS directed POLITICO to the Treasury Department for comment, which did not immediately respond. Long’s campaign treasurer did not immediately return a request for comment via email, and Long could not otherwise be reached for comment.
Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/16/billy-long-irs-campaign-donations-00293051