NYTIMES (Andrew Duehren) - IRS Audit Revenue Has Plummeted Under Trump, Watchdog Finds
The I.R.S. lost roughly a quarter of its employees since President Trump took office, hampering the agency’s ability to conduct audits.
AXIOS (Andrew Pantazi) - Blanche kills Trump fund but leaves legal loose ends
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche rescinded the order setting up President Trump's $1.776 billion "anti-weaponization" fund Sunday, a move aimed at ending a Republican blockade of his confirmation that leaves the underlying settlement unresolved. Why it matters: Blanche has faced unusual resistance from two Senate Republicans on a committee where he cannot afford to lose a single GOP vote in order to advance to a full Senate hearing. Catch up quick: The fund grew out of a May settlement of Trump's lawsuit against the IRS over the disclosure of his tax records. - The settlement promised an apology to Trump and his sons, and it created the fund for individuals claiming they suffered from government "lawfare." - Another agreement…
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche rescinded the order setting up President Trump's $1.776 billion "anti-weaponization" fund Sunday, a move aimed at ending a Republican blockade of his confirmation that leaves the underlying settlement unresolved. Why it matters: Blanche has faced unusual resistance from two Senate Republicans on a committee where he cannot afford to lose a single GOP vote in order to advance to a full Senate hearing. Catch up quick: The fund grew out of a May settlement of Trump's lawsuit against the IRS over the disclosure of his tax records. - The settlement promised an apology to Trump and his sons, and it created the fund for individuals claiming they suffered from government "lawfare." - Another agreement…Open
AMERICANALMANAC (Alex Tanzer) - Trump floats pulling Blanche AG nomination until GOP holdouts leave office
President Trump said he would consider temporarily withdrawing Todd Blanche's attorney general nomination rather than bow to two Republican senators blocking the confirmation, a standoff that now threatens to drag past the August recess. Trump posted on Truth Social Thursday that he has "no objection" to shelving Blanche's name and resubmitting it once Sens. John […] The post Trump floats pulling Blanche AG nomination until GOP holdouts leave office appeared first on American Almanac .
President Trump said he would consider temporarily withdrawing Todd Blanche's attorney general nomination rather than bow to two Republican senators blocking the confirmation, a standoff that now threatens to drag past the August recess. Trump posted on Truth Social Thursday that he has "no objection" to shelving Blanche's name and resubmitting it once Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina are out of office. Both senators' current terms expire in January 2027. The move would leave Blanche, already serving as acting attorney general, in that role indefinitely while the White House waits out two members of its own party. The Senate Judiciary Committee had been set to vote Thursday on advancing Blanche's nomination.…Open
NEWSNATIONNOW (MICHELLE L. PRICE, ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and MARY CLARE JALONICK, Associated Press) - Trump floats pulling Blanche's nomination for attorney general to avoid conceding to GOP demands
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Thursday he may pull acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s nomination for the full-time post to avoid conceding to Senate Republicans demanding limits to a sweeping tax audit immunity deal benefiting the president and members of his family that Trump negotiated with his own Department of Justice. Trump doubled [...]
AMERICANALMANAC (Alan Benson) - Todd Blanche confirmation vote stalls as Cornyn demands DOJ put anti-weaponization fund agreement in writing
Two Republican senators are holding up acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's confirmation over the Justice Department's refusal to formally kill a $1.8 billion settlement fund, and one of them says he won't vote yes until he sees it on paper. The Senate Judiciary Committee pulled a scheduled Thursday morning vote on Blanche's nomination late Wednesday […] The post Todd Blanche confirmation vote stalls as Cornyn demands DOJ put anti-weaponization fund agreement in writing appeared first on American Almanac .
Two Republican senators are holding up acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's confirmation over the Justice Department's refusal to formally kill a $1.8 billion settlement fund, and one of them says he won't vote yes until he sees it on paper. The Senate Judiciary Committee pulled a scheduled Thursday morning vote on Blanche's nomination late Wednesday after Sen. John Cornyn of Texas made clear he would not support the nominee without a written agreement from the Justice Department. Cornyn wants two things in writing: confirmation that the DOJ's controversial "anti-weaponization fund" is permanently dead, and a clear answer on who exactly is shielded by the tax audit immunity baked into a settlement of President Trump's lawsuit against…Open
NYTIMES (Andrew Duehren) - Trump Keeps Immunity from I.R.S. Audits, Even as $1.8 Billion Fund Falls Away
Even as they rebelled against a $1.8 billion fund for President Trump’s allies, Republicans looked the other way as his administration granted him potentially lucrative tax protections.
YOUTUBE (The Hill) - Trump family tax deal questions: House Ways & Means Dems press Treasury Secretary Bessent
House Democrats at a Ways and Means Committee hearing Thursday, June 4, pressed Treasury Secretary Bessent for details on a legal settlement that could prevent the IRS from auditing past tax returns filed by President Trump, his family or his businesses. The settlement was part of an agreement in which President Trump would drop a $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS over a former contractor's leaking of his tax information. On Tuesday, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche agreed to drop one part of the proposed settlement – the $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization fund,” which would have provided payments to alleged victims of improper government legal actions. During Thursday's hearing, Democrats expressed outrage at the tax shield…
NYTIMES (Andrew Duehren and Alan Feuer) - Order Shielding Trump Family From I.R.S. Audits Will Remain, Blanche Says
The acting attorney general said the administration was preserving a broad order shielding the president and his family from audits of already filed returns, despite dropping a $1.8 billion payout fund.
NPR (Terry Gross) - The Justice Department gives Trump an unprecedented settlement
D.O.J. gave Trump and his family immunity from tax audits and set up a $1.8 billion fund for victims of "government weaponization." Former government lawyer Andrew Weissmann explains the settlement.
D.O.J. gave Trump and his family immunity from tax audits and set up a $1.8 billion fund for victims of "government weaponization." Former government lawyer Andrew Weissmann explains the settlement.Open