Trump Gives Himself a Tax Pardon

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche signed a sweeping one-page addendum Tuesday declaring the federal government “forever barred” from pursuing any tax claims against President Trump, his family members, or his businesses.

The agreement follows Monday’s settlement in which Trump dropped his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS and Treasury Department — a suit stemming from leaked tax returns, the 2022 Mar-a-Lago search, and the Russian collusion investigation. In exchange, the Justice Department established a $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund to address claims of government overreach against others.

Tuesday’s addendum goes significantly further, blocking the government from pursuing any pending or future audits on tax returns filed before May 18, the settlement’s effective date.

A Justice Department spokesperson clarified the deal covers “only existing audits, not future ones.”

Rep. Richard Neal, the top Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee, was unsparing: “This settlement is corruption in the plainest sight — forcing the IRS to abandon every audit into Trump, his family, and their businesses while steering $1.8 billion in taxpayer dollars toward his cronies. It’s a dark, dark day for our democracy.”

The deal was finalized just before a court-ordered deadline that would have required the administration to answer uncomfortable questions about the president’s unusual position of suing his own government.