Beverly Hills tax attorney Charles P. Rettig, who defended President Trump’s refusal to release tax returns, was nominated Thursday by Trump to be commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service.
The White House said that during a 35-year career with Hochman, Salkin, Rettig, Toscher & Perez, PC, Rettig has represented numerous taxpayers before every administrative level of the Internal Revenue Service as well as in matters before the Tax Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Rettig served as chair of the IRS Advisory Council for almost 20 years.
He also has served as a member of the advisory board for the California Franchise Tax Board and on the advisory council of the California State Board of Equalization.
Rettig publicly defended Trump’s right not to release his tax returns when he was running for president, which broke decades of precedent.
“Is there any legal impediment to Trump publicly releasing his tax returns? Absolutely not,” Rettig wrote in February 2016 in a column for Forbes.com.
“Would any experienced tax lawyer representing Trump in an IRS audit advise him to publicly release his tax returns during the audit? Absolutely not,” Rettig said.
Rettig’s nomination must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
–City News Service