Donald Trump REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst A US federal judge on Monday (13) annulled the agreement between President Donald Trump and the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that granted him and his companies broad tax protections. Under the agreement reached in May, the IRS would be obliged to apologize to Trump and would be prohibited from proceeding with audits and possible tax collections linked to investigations already opened against the president, his family and his companies. ? Follow g1's international news channel on WhatsApp US District Judge in Miami Kathleen Williams accused Trump of manipulating the justice system by suing a federal agency under his own control, bypassing the requirement that parties to a lawsuit have conflicting interests and setting the stage for a settlement. Williams concluded that Trump and the IRS, which he oversees as president, were not truly adversaries, as the U.S. Constitution requires in civil cases. The agreement reached between Trump and the IRS also involved the creation of a billion-dollar fund to compensate alleged "victims of government instrumentalization", which critics point to as a way for the Republican to channel government funds to his supporters convicted of invading the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Subsequently, the idea of ??creating the fund was abandoned.
Judge annuls agreement between Trump and the US IRS that would provide tax benefits to the president and accuses him of manipulating the judiciary
Donald Trump REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst A US federal judge on Monday (13) annulled the agreement between President Donald Trump and the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that granted him and his companies broad tax...
"This action was never intended for either party to seek judicial resolution of a legal issue or factual dispute," Williams wrote. The judge stated that, instead, it was an attempt to "give some legitimacy to an agreement to grant immunity to people and entities linked to the president and allocate billions of dollars from American taxpayers to repair damages not defined by law." Williams' court order prevents any of the parties involved in the case, including Trump, his adult children and his namesake company, from referring to the settlement or citing any of its terms in future court proceedings. Headquarters of the IRS, the Internal Revenue Service Photographs in the Carol M. Highsmith Archive/Library of Congress This move could nullify the part of the agreement that prevents the IRS from conducting audits of past tax claims involving Trump or his companies. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has already informed Congress that the plan for a nearly $1.8 billion fund to compensate victims of the government's "instrumentalization" and "legal warfare" — terms Trump has long used to describe lawsuits against him and his allies — will not proceed. Request for US$10 billion Trump sued the IRS in January, accusing the agency of not having done enough to prevent the leak of his income tax returns during his first term and initially seeking US$10 billion (R$51.5 billion, at current exchange rates). The deal brokered in May between Trump's personal lawyers and senior Justice Department officials saw Trump drop the lawsuit in exchange for broad tax protections and the creation of the "instrumentalization fund." The agreement was the target of harsh criticism from several sectors, including some Republican parliamentarians, who accused the Trump administration of acting for its own benefit and diverting taxpayers' money to political allies. A spokesperson for Trump's legal team did not comment directly on the court's ruling, but reiterated allegations that Trump's tax records were improperly leaked and said the president "continues to hold accountable those who harm America and Americans." A Justice Department spokesperson did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
