Donald Trump breathes a sigh of relief. The US authorities are definitively giving up tax controls aimed at him
US authorities are permanently dropping any tax claims against US President Donald Trump, according to a document made public on Tuesday, May 19. The decision, considered unprecedented, could limit future investigations into the US leader's finances.
Donald Trump/PHOTO: EPA-EFE
The Associated Press writes that the US government is “forever barred” from investigating or prosecuting current tax audits targeting Trump, his sons and The Trump Organization, according to a one-page document posted on the Justice Department's website.
The document, signed by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, is a separate addendum to the original settlement announced Monday and was discreetly added to the Justice Department's website on Tuesday.
The White House referred The Associated Press' questions to the Justice Department, and the US Treasury did not respond to the agency's requests for comment.
The Department of Justice specified that the agreement refers only to existing tax audits, not to possible future audits.
On Monday, the Trump Administration announced the creation of a nearly $1.8 billion fund for people who say they were investigated or prosecuted for political reasons, including during the Biden administration.
Fund, named “Anti-Weaponization Fund”could award compensation including to some participants in the assault on the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Democrats, ethics groups and even some Republicans have criticized the initiative, which they see as lacking in transparency and possibly unconstitutional.
Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday that the fund is intended to “compensation for people who have been treated horribly.”
Former Commissioner of the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Daniel Werfel, criticized the agreement between the Trump administration and the US tax authorities, saying that he knows of no other cases in which the IRS has agreed to permanently waive the verification of tax returns of a person or company.
According to him, the agreement gives Donald Trump and his family different treatment from other American taxpayers.
The settlement comes after Trump, his sons and the Trump Organization dropped their lawsuit against the IRS and the Treasury Department over leaking confidential tax returns.
Although the settlement does not provide for financial compensation, it could protect the Trump family from any outstanding tax obligations.
Judge Kathleen Williams criticized the settlement's lack of transparency and faulted the Justice Department for failing to file the necessary documents to justify the settlement in court.
