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Welcome to The Logoff: President Donald Trump may have found a new way to repurpose taxpayer money to his own ends.
What’s happening? Earlier this year, Trump, along with two of his children and his family business, sued the Internal Revenue Service for $10 billion over the leak of his tax returns to media outlets. Now, he reportedly plans to drop the case — in exchange for a $1.7 billion fund he can dole out to his allies through a commission under his control, according to ABC News.
How is that supposed to work? The $1.7 billion would take the form of a so-called “weaponization” fund, ABC reports, that could be paid out to address the grievances of Trump allies who believe they were unfairly targeted by the Biden administration — including those prosecuted in connection with the January 6 attack on the US Capitol.
Trump himself reportedly would not be eligible to make a claim against the fund, but “entities associated with Trump are not explicitly barred from filing additional claims,” per ABC.
What’s the context? The settlement, which could be finalized “in the coming days,” looks like an end-run around judicial skepticism over Trump’s suit, which pits a sitting president against the government he leads.
As the New York Times reported earlier this month, the judge overseeing the case has suggested that the case may be moot because the parties — Trump and the other plaintiffs vs. the IRS and the Justice Department — are not really in opposition (Trump is, again, the DOJ’s boss). Both sides are supposed to defend their position in briefs due this coming Wednesday, which a settlement could allow them to avoid.
What’s the big picture? Two major focuses of Trump II have been getting even for perceived wrongs against him and his movement, and finding ways to enrich himself and his allies. The reported settlement, if it goes through, would accomplish both in one fell swoop.
And with that, it’s time to log off…
Unbeknownst to me, Eurovision — Europe’s annual over-the-top song competition — has returned. It’s already through to the finals, which start at 3 pm ET tomorrow. If you want to catch up fast, NPR has just the piece for you here.
Have a great weekend, and we’ll see you back here on Monday!
