Trump's IRS case should be reopened so court can probe possible 'fraud,' e judges argue
U.S. President Donald Trump talks to reporters before boarding Air Force One on May 20, 2026 at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. Trump is traveling to
U.S. President Donald Trump talks to reporters before boarding Air Force One on May 20, 2026 at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. Trump is traveling to Connecticut to deliver the commencement address at the United States Coast Guard Academy. President Donald Trump's recently dismissed $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service should be reopened so the judge who oversaw it can investigate "whether a fraud occurred," 35 former federal judges argued Wednesday. Trump, his two eldest sons and the Trump Organization on May 18 abruptly dropped their case against the IRS and the Treasury Department, which was based on leaks of their tax information by an e IRS employee in 2019 and 2020.
Federal Judge Kathleen Williams of Miami District Court accordingly ordered the case dismissed with prejudice, while noting that the move cancels an upcoming deadline related to her efforts to scrutinize the matter. She also noted in her ruling that the plaintiffs made no reference to a settlement and that the defendants did not submit any settlement documents. The same day, the Department of Justice announced that as part of a settlement agreement in the case, the U.S. attorney general will establish a $1.776 billion "Anti-Weaponization Fund." One day later, the DOJ revealed an addendum to the settlement that effectively shielded the plaintiffs and certain affiliates from any IRS enforcement regarding their past tax returns.
"The Court was deceived," the e judges wrote in a court filing Wednesday afternoon. "Despite Plaintiffs not having mentioned any settlement in their Notice, the [DOJ] publicly announced a 'settlement' of this action shortly after Plaintiffs filed their dismissal," they wrote. That settlement "raises profound questions about the parties' candor toward the Court and manipulation of the judicial system, which threatens to undermine confidence in the administration of justice," they argued. Among the retired judges who joined the filing is J.
Michael Luttig, who had testified before the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
The BriefWire