U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams of the Southern District of Florida has rebuked President Donald Trump's legal team, finding that his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS was brought for an "improper purpose" to legitimize a controversial Justice Department settlement.
The judge, appointed by former President Obama in 2011, found that the case was brought for personal gain, rather than a legitimate dispute. Williams stated that the parties involved, including Trump, his sons, and the Trump Organization, are public servants who are sworn to uphold the law and protect the interests of the American public.
Williams referred attorney Alejandro Brito to the Florida Bar for possible disciplinary action, citing that the lawsuit was brought to advance Trump's own interests while controlling the federal agency he had sued. The lawsuit seeks at least $10 billion in damages for failing to protect Trump's confidential tax information after an IRS contractor leaked his records in 2019.
The judge's ruling has drawn attention to the proposed "Anti-Weaponization Fund" that Trump envisioned creating from the lawsuit settlement. The fund was intended to compensate alleged victims of government "lawfare" and halt IRS audits of Trump's finances, but it was later dropped after political backlash.
Williams' ruling also called out Acting Attorney General Blanche, saying that he appeared to be speaking for both sides of the lawsuit. The judge stated that Blanche's testimony was "misleading and, at worst, disingenuous" when he claimed that there was no mechanism for reviewing the settlement agreement.
