35 Ex-Judges Ask Court If Trump's IRS Deal Was Fraud

A coalition of 35 former federal judges asked a Miami federal judge on Wednesday to revive and scrutinize a recently dismissed lawsuit that President Trump brought against the IRS, questioning whether the rapid resolution amounted to fraud on the court, the New York Times reports. In the motion, the group urged US District Judge Kathleen Williams to reopen the case and examine a post-dismissal agreement that produced two major outcomes: a nearly $1.8 billion fund to compensate people who say they were targeted by the federal government, and sweeping tax-related benefits and immunity from past IRS investigations for Trump, his family, and their businesses.

The filing argues Trump used the suit to secure "unlawful private benefits" and to establish a taxpayer-funded pool "without constitutional or congressional authority," while trying to avoid judicial scrutiny by withdrawing the case just as Williams was questioning its legitimacy. "The Court was deceived," the filing says, per USA Today. The bipartisan group, represented by the nonprofit Democracy Defenders and two law firms, said the settlement's emergence only after the case was closed raised "profound questions" about manipulation of the system.

A Justice Department spokeswoman called the motion frivolous, saying plaintiffs routinely dismiss cases without mentioning settlements and insisting there was "nothing improper" about the deal. Williams had dismissed the suit at Trump's request two days before briefings were due on whether she could adjudicate a dispute in which the president, who oversees the IRS, was effectively on both sides; she noted at the time there was no settlement on the record. Hours later, the agreement establishing the fund surfaced, followed by an addendum granting the Trump family immunity from past IRS inquiries. Two other lawsuits have also been filed to block payouts, per the Times.