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Federal Judge Nullifies Trump’s Entire January 6 Slush Fund (newrepublic.com)

submitted 3 hours ago by Sunflier@lemmy.world to c/politics@lemmy.world

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She also referred his attorney for possible professional discipline.

The fund was the result of an unprecedented deal that Trump made with himself after he dropped his $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service for the unlawful leak of his tax returns in 2019. The honey pot payments were pitched as reparations, paid for by U.S. taxpayers through the Department of Justice, to virtually any right-winger that felt targeted by the previous presidential administration.

“The nature of the suit itself and the conduct of the Parties and counsel from its filing make plain that this was an attempt to use the Court to provide some legitimacy to an agreement to confer immunity to people and entities affiliated with the President and to earmark billions of dollars from American taxpayers to redress grievances not defined in the law,” wrote U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams in a 56-page order Monday.

Williams ruled that any entities affiliated with the slush fund settlement—including the president, the Treasury Department, and the IRS—were “prohibited” from using the details of the arrangement in any official capacity. She also referred Trump’s attorney, Alejandro Brito, to the Florida bar for possible professional discipline.

She noted that while Trump had the right to pursue legal action over the unauthorized publication of his tax returns, he chose not to do so while he was still a private citizen. Instead, Trump did not bring the charges until he had returned to the White House and subsequently appointed his former lawyer, Todd Blanche, atop the Justice Department.

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[-] BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today 2 points 22 minutes ago

His attorney is being sanctioned, and may lose his law license. Maybe attorneys will stop fighting his bullshit cases if it means they will not just lose the nonsense case, but also their ability to practice law.

[-] Substance_P@lemmy.world 28 points 2 hours ago

Correct me if I'm wrong here. It sounds like because the judge nullified the entire settlement, including the immunity agreement signed by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, the legal barrier protecting Trump's past tax returns from audit has now been struck down.

I know this can be appealed, but at this stage, it sounds like a huge blow shining some serious light on the Trump family's grifts.

[-] GuyFawkesV@lemmy.world 2 points 41 minutes ago

And this is the part where the statute of limitations will fuck us…

[-] SayJess@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 42 minutes ago

huge blow

…if there is enforcement, with capital “F” force involved. Otherwise, his stooges will continue on, and he will benefit from the capture of the entire federal apparatus. Until his lackeys are put behind bars, nothing matters.

[-] BarnWolf@lemmy.world 2 points 59 minutes ago

Zoinks!!

[-] crandlecan@mander.xyz 4 points 3 hours ago

and they think that'll change anything? don't we ever learn??

[-] ilinamorato@lemmy.world 18 points 2 hours ago

I get where you're coming from, but court orders are one of the few things that actually does change anything for this administration. Not always, never perfectly, and of course he might try again, but it's something.

[-] SeeMarkFly@lemmy.ml 3 points 2 hours ago

That's the funny part, I learned but it doesn't seem like anybody else learned.

Almost like it was, you know, "fake news". Trump does say "fake news" a lot. Perhaps he's projecting...AGAIN???

this post was submitted on 13 Jul 2026

180 points (99.5% liked)

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