It was seven days ago when the Trump administration unveiled its unprecedented $1.776 billion compensation fund, which was quickly and widely panned by members of both parties as a “slush fund.” What generated fewer headlines, however, was the resignation that appeared to accompany the development.
The two main federal entities at the heart of the controversial arrangement were the Justice Department and the IRS; but there’s also a role for the Treasury Department, which will be responsible for depositing the $1.776 billion in taxpayer money into an account to be controlled by a commission whose members will be appointed by acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.
With this in mind, it was of great interest to see Brian Morrissey, the Treasury Department’s top lawyer, resign immediately after the deal was announced, just seven months into his tenure.
Though Morrissey didn’t comment publicly on why he was quitting, there’s been some additional reporting on his motivations. The New York Times reported:
The top lawyer at the Treasury Department, Brian Morrissey, resigned on Monday over his concerns about the resolution to Mr. Trump’s lawsuit against the I.R.S., three people familiar with his thinking said.
The reporting has not been independently verified by MS NOW, though if the Times’ account is correct, it would suggest the timing — the administration announced the deal on Monday afternoon, and Morrissey exited the administration unexpectedly just hours later — was not a coincidence, his silence about his motivations notwithstanding.
The same Times report added that Morrissey, during his confirmation hearing to be Treasury’s general counsel last year, acknowledged that he was aware of the statute preventing the president from directing IRS audits.
“It’s imperative that the only considerations that the IRS is considering are the facts and the evidence with respect to that taxpayer and not any political considerations,” Morrissey said last June.
Eleven months later, political considerations surrounding the IRS seemed rather obvious.
If recent history is any guide, the White House will likely admonish Morrissey as some kind of “RINO” (“Republican in name only”), though it’s worth emphasizing that he was a Trump appointee who clerked for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Nothing about his record screams “moderate.”
As for the larger pattern, examples of Trump administration officials resigning in protest are rare — it made Joe Kent’s departure in March as the director of the National Counterterrorism Center stand out — which makes the Times’ reporting on Morrissey that much more notable.
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