Justice Department expands Trump settlement to cover his tax audits
The Justice Department on Tuesday broadened the newly announced settlement of President Donald Trump’s lawsuit over the leak of his tax returns to include a pledge that the IRS will not pursue any remaining claims against Trump, his family members, or his companies for unpaid taxes.
The nine-page agreement released Monday by DOJ established a nearly $1.8 billion fund to compensate victims of alleged law enforcement “weaponization,” but made no reference to resolving disputes over Trump’s tax returns, which he has said were under long-running IRS audits.
A separate one-page document posted Tuesday adds a broad release stating the IRS is “forever barred and precluded” from conducting “examinations” of Trump, “related or affiliated individuals,” and associated trusts and businesses. It also covers “tax returns filed before the effective date” of Monday’s settlement.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche signed the Tuesday addendum, which does not include signatures from the IRS or current Trump attorneys. Metadata shows it was created or scanned at 7:50 a.m. Tuesday. Blanche did not sign the original settlement, which was signed by Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward, IRS CEO Frank Bisignano, and Trump attorney Daniel Epstein.
Earlier reporting suggested a possible deal could include dropping all audits of Trump-related returns and potentially blocking future ones.
Blanche testified for more than two hours Tuesday before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee, where he faced skeptical questioning about the settlement and the “weaponization fund,” but was not asked about the deal’s effect on Trump’s ongoing tax issues.
