Trump IRS Lawsuit DOJ Settlement Tax Immunity

🔴 Abuse of Power · May 18–19, 2026

Summary

Trump sued the IRS for $10 billion over the 2019 leak of his tax returns, the first president ever to sue the government he leads. When a judge began questioning the conflict of interest, Trump’s lawyers dropped the case. Hours later, his DOJ (led by Acting AG Todd Blanche, Trump’s own former personal lawyer) announced a settlement creating a $1.776 billion ‘Anti-Weaponization Fund’ from taxpayer money, structured to avoid judicial review. The next day, an expanded waiver permanently barred the IRS from auditing or investigating Trump, his family, or his businesses for any returns filed before May 18, 2026. Harvard professor Ryan Enos wrote: ‘This may be the most significant conflict of interest in modern presidential history.‘