Reports from Trumplandia: The “Get-out-of-jail-free Card” Edition

From Tierney Sneed and Hannah Rabinowitz's 5-20-26 CNN report entitled "New Settlement Term Bars IRS from Investigating Trump, His Family for Past Tax Issues":

The Internal Revenue Service can’t bring claims against President Donald Trump, his family or businesses for past tax issues, according to additional terms added Tuesday to the settlement the Justice Department reached with Trump to resolve his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS.

The additional terms, first reported by Politico, were quietly added in a hyperlink to Monday’s Justice Department press release that contained an agreement to create a nearly $1.8 billion fund to compensate people or organizations that have been “weaponized” by past administrations — a fund widely expected to benefit Trump’s allies, including January 6, 2021, US Capitol rioters.

This additional settlement term is an extraordinary step that Trump’s own administration has taken that benefits him and his family directly.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche made no mention of the additional term during testimony before a Senate committee earlier Tuesday.

Trump’s lawsuit — and how the Trump administration resolved it — has been labeled “self-dealing” by the president’s critics, since Trump controls the executive branch agencies that were deciding how to respond to a lawsuit he brought in his personal capacity. Trump abruptly dropped the case after signals that the judge could probe whether it was a legitimate legal dispute belonging in court.

According to the new document, dated Tuesday and signed by acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, the federal government is “FOREVER BARRED and PRECLUDED” from prosecuting or pursuing “claims” or “examinations” arising from matters pending before the IRS, including “tax returns” filed by Trump before the agreement was reached. The language applies not just to Trump, but to his family, trusts, companies and other affiliates.

The Justice Department did not answer CNN’s inquiry about why the additional terms were published belatedly. 

To read the entire article, click HERE.