The top tax official of the US Department of the Treasury was dismissed due to conflicts with the White House over tax audits by the Internal Revenue Service.

According to reports, multiple informed sources revealed that the Chief Tax Policy Officer at the US Department of the Treasury was forced to resign after warning the White House of the risks of violating federal laws - which prohibit senior officials from interfering in the IRS tax audit work. The Assistant Secretary of the Treasury and Acting Chief Legal Counsel at the IRS, Kenneth Kis, will step down from both positions in the coming weeks. Sources said Kis had clashed with White House officials privately multiple times. One source said that during a recent meeting, Kis pointed out that a proposed request from the White House would violate Section 7217 of the Internal Revenue Code. This law prohibits the President, Vice President, White House staff, and certain agency heads from directly or indirectly influencing the IRS to initiate or terminate an audit or investigation against any specific taxpayer.