Billy Long, we hardly knew ye. Not that we really wanted to. Long was yet another of Donald Trump’s shockingly unqualified department heads. The New York Times noted, “He did not have much background in tax policy beyond promoting a tax credit that the I.R.S. has warned was riddled with fraud, and while he was in Congress he supported legislation calling for the abolition of the agency entirely.”

Of course, Long had the most important qualification to Trump: staunch loyalty. So, what happened?

The Times reported that Long clashed with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. “Mr. Long had remarked to some colleagues that he had to ask Mr. Bessent for permission for everything he did at the I.R.S.,” two sources said. “Others said Mr. Long had at times appeared to get out ahead of the I.R.S. and Treasury Department. He told tax practitioners last month that the agency’s all-important filing season would start later than usual next year, a statement that the I.R.S. later said was premature.”

Long's departure almost certainly not because of the massive turmoil at the IRS under Trump. When has that kind of thing ever bothered President Jan. 6th?

Maybe Long wasn’t willing to “edit” Jeffrey Epstein out of an old Trump tax return? Or vice versa?

It just so happens that Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden, the ranking member of the Finance Committee, has been digging into Epstein’s finances and so-called tax planning services. On July 31, 2025, Wyden issued a press release stating, “Epstein Was Paid Hundreds of Millions for Tax Planning Services But Was Neither an Accountant Nor a Tax Attorney; Wyden Investigation Found Evidence His Work Was Never Audited or Investigated.”

In a letter that same day, Wyden asked the IRS commissioner for “a list of all audits or investigations conducted by the IRS related to transactions involving Jeffrey Epstein” as well as “A determination as to whether the IRS has evaluated the full scope of any so-called tax planning Epstein provided to wealthy and powerful associates.”

I’ll bet we can all think of a wealthy and powerful associate, one who doesn’t care much about credentials, who might have sought tax planning from a like-minded buddy. Like maybe the guy who is the current resident of the White House and desperately trying to cover up something about his involvement with Epstein? Oh, and let’s not forget that same guy claimed he couldn’t release his tax returns during his first campaign because he was being audited.

Just saying.