U.S. President Donald Trump and the Justice Department have reached a settlement in a $10-billion lawsuit he filed against the Internal Revenue Service over the disclosure of his tax returns.
In the Monday, the Justice Department will set up a $1.776 billion “ Anti-Weaponization Fund ” that will pay out claims to those acting Attorney General Todd Blanche called “victims of lawfare and weaponization.” Some who were convicted of crimes during the events of Jan. 6, 2021 in Washington have sued the government. The fund will process claims through mid-December 2028 — a month before Trump’s term comes to an end.
“The machinery of government should never be weaponized against any American, and it is this Department’s intention to make right the wrongs that were previously done while ensuring this never happens again,” Blanche said in a statement.
Trump drops claims
Trump agreed to drop claims he filed against the government over probes into his 2016 campaign’s alleged Russian ties and a court-approved raid on his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, that the FBI carried out in 2022, the DOJ said, adding Trump and his family “will receive a formal apology but no monetary payment or damages of any kind.”
Trump’s legal team maintains he, his family and supporters were illegally targeted.
“President Trump, his family, supporters, and countless other America First Patriots were illegally targeted by the Democrat-lead (sic) law enforcement agencies, including the Department of Justice, and the IRS,” a spokesperson for Trump’s legal team said.
“Trump was also the victim of illegal harassment and invasions of privacy” during the Russian influence probe and the Mar-a-Lago search, the statement continued. “Trump is entering into this settlement squarely for the benefit of the American people, and he will continue his fight to hold those who wrong America and Americans accountable.”
To adhere to the settlement, Trump’s lawyers filed a notice with a Miami court dismissing the lawsuit.
