Trump moves to dismiss $10bn lawsuit against IRS amid reports he’s considering settlement | Donald Trump
Donald Trump moved to dismiss He filed a $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS on Monday and dropped his claims amid reports that he was considering a deal with the federal government that would create a $1.7 billion fund to compensate allies for the government’s alleged cruelty.
The filing Monday came just two days before a May 20 deadline in which the judge overseeing the case asked the parties to brief whether there was a legitimate argument (a requirement for any lawsuit) because Trump controls the IRS.
“No judicial analysis is appropriate upon the filing of this notice,” Trump’s lawyers said in a brief filing Monday seeking dismissal of the case.
The agreement will reportedly create a $1.776 billion fund called the “Truth and Justice Commission,” according to ABC News. According to the press, although Trump cannot receive payment from the commission, people connected to him can claim compensation. Five commissioners (four appointed by the attorney general and fired by Trump) will oversee the agency’s work, and the commission will not be required to explain its reasons for awarding the money.
The lawsuit sought damages after IRS contractor Charles Littlejohn leaked Trump’s tax returns to ProPublica and the New York Times.
Neither the justice department nor lawyers representing Trump returned a request for comment.
Democrats harshly criticized the rumored deal, saying it amounted to the creation of a slush fund for the president’s allies. Ninety-three Congressional Democrats Others, including New York Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, filed an amicus brief with the court on Monday saying such a claim would be illegal.
“Trying to hide this deal from the courts is blatant corruption. Trump is funneling taxpayer dollars to his political allies, and we will hold him accountable and block this billion-dollar giveaway at a time when Americans are already being squeezed by inflation,” said Andrew Warren, deputy legal director of the Democracy Defenders Fund.
The agreement came after Kathleen Williams, the U.S. district judge Barack Obama appointed to oversee the case, appointed a group of lawyers to advise her on whether there was enough argument for the case to proceed. those lawyers They presented their summary He noted last week that there are numerous potential defenses the Justice Department could offer to push back on Trump’s claims; they have asserted many of these in other lawsuits related to the leak of IRS records.
“There is reason to believe that the President is in fact exercising control over the defendants in this case,” they wrote.
