“Turnover Is Coming to the Justice Department Tax Division,” Tax Notes

In an article published in Tax Notes on February 13, 2025, Former IRS Commissioner and Shareholder Chuck Rettig and Former Counselor to the IRS Commissioner and Shareholder Tom Cullinan added their insights on the future of the tax administration following recent departures from top officials.

Cullinan spoke about David Hubbert, deputy assistant attorney general, who is leaving this week, saying, “He would look past the individual case to consider what was best for tax administration in general.”

Rettig added that in his former role as commissioner, he worked with Hubbert and that, he “never had an agenda and always wanted to get to the right answer.”

The attorneys also spoke about the process of the IRS and Justice Department Tax Division, and what impacts they expect to see. Rettig told Tax Notes that “states generally depend on enforcement actions taken by the IRS and will have to do that themselves otherwise.” Cullinan noted, “I’m concerned that significant changes in leadership may cause delays in processing cases, simply because it will be more difficult to obtain the necessary approvals to keep things moving.”

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