Monday briefing: Does Trump’s $1.8bn ‘anti-weaponization fund’ signal a new era of law and disorder?
Summary
President Donald Trump settled a lawsuit against the IRS over leaked tax returns by creating a $1.8 billion fund to compensate people for what the settlement calls “weaponized lawfare” by the federal government. The fund, controlled by a commission appointed by the attorney general, has faced criticism and a reopened court case challenging the fairness of the settlement.Key Facts
- The settlement stems from a case started in January 2024 after an IRS contractor leaked tax returns of wealthy individuals, revealing Trump paid very little federal income tax over many years.
- Trump sued the IRS for $10 billion over the leak but settled out of court.
- The settlement bars the US government from auditing Trump and his family’s past tax returns.
- It creates a $1.8 billion fund to compensate people allegedly harmed by politically motivated legal actions by the government, called “weaponized lawfare.”
- A five-member commission appointed by the acting attorney general will decide who receives money from the fund, rather than a court or jury.
- More than a dozen Republican senators and a majority of both Democratic and Republican voters oppose the fund.
- A bipartisan group of federal judges filed a lawsuit in Florida saying the settlement is a product of collusion and fraud on the court, leading a federal judge to reopen the case.
- Critics say the fund could allow President Trump and his allies to use public money to reward political supporters.
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