Judge Accuses Trump of Attempting to Manipulate Judicial Process in IRS Lawsuit A federal judge ruled Monday that President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS was an effort to “manipulate the judicial process” and that his legal team acted in bad faith. US District Judge Kathleen Williams, appointed by President Barack Obama, ordered sanctions against attorneys involved in the case, which led to an attempt to create a $1.8 billion fund for allies of the president and justify a Trump administration order granting amnesty for past tax issues. The judge’s 56-page opinion criticized both the Justice Department and private attorneys for their conduct, calling the lawsuit an effort to use the court to legitimize an agreement that provided immunity to Trump’s associates and allocated taxpayer funds to unspecified grievances. Williams’ ruling highlighted the legal and ethical violations she alleged in the case. She accused the Justice Department of abandoning its duty to defend the United States by entering into a “settlement” that disregarded DOJ policies and federal law. The settlement, which included a tax amnesty order for Trump and his associates, was described as an unauthorized agreement that deviated from standard litigation procedures. The judge also referred one private attorney representing Trump to the Florida Bar for potential disciplinary action and barred another lawyer from appearing in court in the Southern District of Florida for a year. The lawsuit, which Trump filed in 2025, stemmed from a 2023 leak of tax information by a government contractor, Charles Littlejohn, who worked for an IRS-contracted consulting firm. Littlejohn pleaded guilty to leaking sensitive data to media outlets and was sentenced to five years in prison.#president_donald_trump #us_department_of_justice #acting_attorney_general_todd_blanche #charles_littlejohn #judge_kathleen_williams
Judge Reopens Trump’s IRS Suit to Examine $1.8bn Settlement with Justice Department A federal judge in Miami has reopened Donald Trump’s $10bn lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), following a third-party motion alleging that the settlement, which lacks detailed terms, is “a product of collusion and is itself a fraud on the court.” The ruling by Judge Kathleen Williams, an Obama appointee, revives a case initially filed by Trump and his sons against the IRS after their personal and business tax returns were leaked by a former contractor. The case had been dismissed earlier this month, but Williams ordered a review after a bipartisan group of 35 former federal judges urged her to scrutinize the settlement. The lawsuit, which Trump had dropped last week, centered on allegations that the IRS improperly accessed and disclosed his tax returns. In exchange for dropping the case, Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general and former Trump defense lawyer, reportedly secured a provision barring the U.S. government from auditing the Trump family’s tax returns indefinitely. This “forever” clause has drawn significant criticism, with the judge questioning its validity, noting that only Blanche signed the provision. The settlement includes a controversial $1.8bn “anti-weaponization” fund, intended to compensate individuals claiming they were victims of federal overreach. Critics, including lawmakers and some Republicans, have labeled the fund a “slush fund” and a political liability, arguing it could be used to reward Trump’s political allies while indirectly benefiting the family.#donald_trump #internal_revenue_service #todd_blanche #judge_kathleen_williams #charles_littlejohn
