WSJ: IRS Chief Once Spied on His Fellow Bank Execs

The Wall Street Journal is out with a remarkable story about Frank Bisignano, the head of both the IRS and the Social Security Administration: The lengthy investigative piece alleges that Bisignano essentially spied on fellow executives while serving as co-chief operating officer at JPMorgan more than a decade ago. Among other things, the story by Alexander Saeedy reports that Bisignano used his authority over security to monitor fellow executives' emails and internal communications. "Bisignano's goal was to keep a tight rein on employees and use the information to undermine his rivals as he expanded his responsibilities," writes Saeedy, citing anonymous sources. He also points out that Bisignano controls "vast reams of sensitive financial data about every taxpayer" in his current roles.

Bisignano's attorney flatly denies he spied, saying he "never directed anyone to look through any employee's or executive's communications or engaged in any form of surveillance" while at the firm. The story, though, alleges that internal complaints about Bisignano's conduct and management style eroded CEO Jamie Dimon's trust in him by the end of 2012. Bisignano left the company in 2013, and the story notes that Dimon publicly praised him as a "highly talented executive" upon his departure. A later forensic review by the bank's legal department allegedly turned up digital traces of the spying, prompting tighter controls, according to the story. Read it in full here. Axios reports that the piece is causing some "angst" in the orbit of President Trump.