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"Fraud on the Court": Even as DOJ Drops $1.8B Settlement Fund, Judge Reopens Case over Collusion

2026-06-03 News & Politics
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Support our work: https://democracynow.org/donate/sm-desc-yt After widespread bipartisan outcry, the Justice Department says it is permanently abandoning plans for a $1.776 billion "anti-weaponization" fund. Widely branded as a "slush fund," it was expected to reward President Donald Trump's supporters, including those who attacked the Capitol on January 6, 2021. The fund was announced in May as part of a settlement in Trump's personal lawsuit against the IRS over the leak of his tax data. That case was recently reopened, after dozens of former federal judges filed a motion alleging that Trump's actions were "collusive." As Nancy Gertner, one of the judges who joined the motion, explains, "What happened in this case was, essentially, Trump was suing himself. There was no question that Trump was on both sides of the 'v.'" Gertner and her fellow judges are represented by attorney Matt Platkin, who says, "It is illegal for the president to ask for any IRS audit to be opened or closed. That is a federal crime." Subscribe to our Daily Email Digest: https://democracynow.org/subscribe

Top Comments (10)

@MissDaisy6036 2026-06-03

Now this stiry has changed . He said he didn't know anything about the slush fund untill the DOJ brought it up . Now Blanche says the president has been talking about it for a long time. Which is it ? They cant keep their lies straight

43 1 replies
@KimDuty-i8e 2026-06-03

Alito’s son is working in the Treasury Department with no knowledge of it until now. Which is a violation.

52 3 replies
@Mycol411 2026-06-03

You can’t commit a fraud and when you’re caught, say never mind

47 9 replies
@gladyswjsadvocacy4gapelimi225 2026-06-03

Thank you for keeping us abreast. Be well.

29
@DanKessler-j4y 2026-06-03

Much Thanks Ms Amy !! Consistently Excellent

32
@Pam-ql9bl 2026-06-03

Fraudsters trying to steal our hard earned money and get his family off for being the audited, throw them all in prison!

17
@charleshopkins87 2026-06-03

He was testing the waters to see if he could get tax payers to pay for his own private army , with no restrictions. His own brownshirts.

14
@GrannyB-p7k 2026-06-03

Blanche appears to be functioning less as an independent Acting Attorney General and more as Trump’s personal attorney under a different title. That’s not a subtle distinction—it’s a clear conflict of interest. When public authority is used to advance private loyalty, it fails even the most basic ethical standards. Any agreements or settlements connected to his actions deserve close scrutiny and could be subject to challenge. At a minimum, this raises serious concerns about whether he should be disqualified or even face disbarment. Also because of Blanche's convenient role as acting AG he's in an unprecedented position of being able to destroy evidence regarding the Epstein files.

31 5 replies
@Mycol411 2026-06-03

Todd said he was not working for Trump in this case as his lawyer. Then turns around right now and says this is what Trump wanted.

9
@Chris-wz5yd 2026-06-03

It's called corruption

84 7 replies

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