Trump still protected from tax enforcement, but anti-weaponization fund is dead, Blanche says
The Department of Justice has permanently abandoned plans for a $1.8 billion Anti-Weaponization compensation fund created to settle a lawsuit by President Donald Trump against
The Department of Justice has permanently abandoned plans for a $1.8 billion Anti-Weaponization compensation fund created to settle a lawsuit by President Donald Trump against the Internal Revenue Service, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche testified to a House panel on Tuesday. But Trump, his family members, and related business entities remain protected from tax audits and enforcement actions in connection with tax returns filed before last month's out-of-court settlement of his lawsuit, Blanche told the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science.
Blanche, who previously served as Trump's criminal defense attorney, personally signed off on the DOJ's May 19 addendum to the settlement of the lawsuit that gave Trump and his family that protection, a day after the deal was announced. "We are not moving forward with the fund, period," Blanche told Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., the ranking member of the subcommittee.
But he later refused to put that promise in writing despite telling Meng that the DOJ would never relaunch the fund. Blanche's answer came a day after the DOJ said it would not "proceed" with the fund in order to comply with a federal judge's order temporarily blocking it from operating as one of three lawsuits challenging it proceeded.
Blanche told Meng that the DOJ would not operate the fund, regardless of the outcome of the lawsuits.
The BriefWire