Joshua Wu, a tax controversy counsel at Latham & Watkins LLP, is expected to lead the Justice Department’s new civil tax branch after the current tax division is dissolved, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Wu’s appointment is delayed by the federal government shutdown, the people said.
DOJ is eliminating the tax division and splitting enforcement between the respective civil and criminal divisions as part of a broader reorganization. The move was initially scheduled for early August but is postponed in part because of the shutdown, which is now the longest in history.
Critics of the tax division split say it sends a signal that tax enforcement will decline.
Wu did not respond to a request for comment. DOJ declined to comment.
Wu served as the deputy assistant attorney general for appellate and review in the DOJ Tax Division from 2019 to 2021, according to his LinkedIn profile. In that role, he oversaw almost all appeals and civil federal tax cases and managed a 40-lawyer team.
Jennifer Hodge, a 20-year veteran of the Justice Department, will lead the new criminal tax unit.
Wu and the six other deputy assistant attorneys general in the civil division report up to Brett Shumate.
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