By Lauren Sforza
nj.com
(TNS)
Billy Long, a former GOP lawmaker and President Donald Trump’s nominee for IRS commissioner, disclosed in new federal filings on Tuesday that he paid himself back using campaign donations for a $130,000 loan he made to his failed 2022 Senate campaign.
The Lever was the first to report on the filings.
The Lever noted that in the two years since Long lost his bid for Senate, the campaign committee raised less than $36,000. However, the campaign committee suddenly took in nearly $137,000 since Trump announced Long as his IRS pick in January.
Michael Beckel, the senior research director of the campaign-finance reform organization Issue One, told The Lever that Long’s donors may want to “ingratiate” themselves with the potential head of the IRS.
“People often criticize campaign contributions for being legalized bribery, but in this case, we’re truly talking about money being given to Long to repay himself,” Beckel told The Lever.
More from The Lever:
At the end of 2024, Long’s disclosure reports showed he owed $130,000 in debt from a $250,000 loan to his campaign. His new report filed this week revealed he used most of the money reaped in January to pay himself back.
The move came less than three years after the Supreme Court eliminated limits on politicians repaying personal loans with campaign cash from donors with business before those politicians.
The Lever highlighted that advisers for White River Energy and Lifetime Advisors were listed as contributors to Long’s committee.
Those companies were listed in a April 14 letter sent from Senate Finance Democrats to the IRS earlier this week, asking the agency to look into their promotion of allegedly fraudulent “tribal tax credits.”
“As you are aware, the IRS recently confirmed to Senate Finance Committee investigators that these ‘tribal tax credits’ do not exist and that promoters of these credits could face civil and criminal penalties,” the senators wrote in the letter.
“It appears that White River Energy Corporation, like other promoters involved in this scheme, used the identity and image of Native American tribes without their knowledge to dupe investors into spending millions to purchase fake tax credits.”
“Given IRS Commissioner nominee Billy Long’s direct financial ties to White River and other entities implicated in this scheme, we are concerned that if confirmed Long could undermine enforcement actions related to this fraudulent scheme,” they continued.
The Lever noted that Long sold tax products from Lifetime Advisors after leaving Congress in 2023. The outlet also reported that he also received $5,000 in income from White River Energy Corporation as a referral agent.
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©2025 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit nj.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency LLC.
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Tags: Billy Long, IRS, Taxes, Trump administration
