One way you can tell that those involved know what they are doing is wrong is to observe the circumstances surrounding the conduct. Two examples are the Orwellian (in this columnist’s opinion) $1.776 billion anti-weaponization fund, and giving Trump, his businesses, and his family immunity from any possible tax law violations or any penalties for tax years up to the present date.
The “agreement” between the DOJ (on behalf of the IRS and the Treasury Department) and Trump was made right before a federal judge was going to address the conflict of interest of Trump suing the IRS, which he has power over as the President of the United States. By making an agreement, it took the case out of the hands of the judge. Also, there was a memo circulated by IRS counsel which indicated that the IRS had legitimate defenses to Trump’s lawsuit, including the statute of limitations (suing too late). Therefore, if the case had not been settled, Trump would have been in deep trouble as to the validity of the case and its proceeding in the courts.
Moreover, the settlement agreement dated May 18 only mentioned the portion relating to the fund. There was no mention in the agreement of the IRS tax deal. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche did not sign this agreement. There was a separate supplemental agreement which was signed by Blanche dated May 19 that involved the agreement with the IRS relating to taxes. Blanche testified before Congress on May 19, and did not inform Congress that he had signed or was going to sign an agreement with the IRS. He knew that there would be pushback for the IRS agreement, just like there is with the “anti-weaponization” agreement. Also, on May 18, the Treasury Department’s General Counsel (chief legal officer), Brian Morrissey, resigned.
The so-called Anti-Weaponization Fund is nothing more than a Trump slush fund which uses taxpayer money to pay those he likes and supports.
According to the settlement agreement, “The Anti-Weaponization Fund shall have the power to determine its own procedures for submitting, receiving, processing, and granting or denying claims.” In other words, there are no standards or accountability. The list of standards in the agreement is illusory in that there is no review of the determination and there is no obligation to publicly disclose any determination. Also, the list includes the general phrase, “Other factors The Anti-Weaponization Fund deems just and appropriate.” That gives them carte blanche to do what they want since they can claim anything to be just and appropriate. There may be a five-person board, but Trump can fire them at any time without any reason.
There has been pushback in that the fund can be used to pay those who, on January 6, 2021, attacked police officers. Under the terms, these individuals can receive money in any amount Trump wants. This fund would cover those who took a plea, went to trial, were convicted and sentenced to jail time, and were incarcerated.
There is currently a process for those who were wrongfully arrested and prosecuted by the government to sue the government. This slush fund is created for those who could not win these cases.
The fund shall cease processing claims no later than December 1, 2028, and no money will be paid after December 15, which happens to be the last full month of the Trump administration.
The bottom line is that Trump can give the money to anyone he wants for any reason. Those who receive the money will be anonymous and the amounts paid out to them will be unknown. Congress and the courts (i.e., judges) have no say.
I can guarantee that cases involving the weaponization of the DOJ by the Trump administration will not receive a dime. The most recent is Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who upset the administration because he had the nerve to challenge his deportation to El Salvador. As a result, the DOJ brought trumped-up charges against him in Tennessee. The federal judge overseeing the case just threw out the charges, finding that the prosecution was done in retaliation for Garcia fighting and winning against the government. About the same time, another case in federal court involving the “Broadview Six” was dismissed by the judge right before trial per the request of the DOJ due to the DOJ’s misconduct in the grand jury. This occurred because of a closed-door hearing about the conduct of the prosecutors. The court was shocked by their misconduct.
It was bad enough that Trump and his family were using his connections to make billions of dollars. At least that did not directly cost the United States taxpayer. The fund is costing us $1.776 billion—money that could have been spent on useful things. Also, giving Trump, his family, and his businesses tax immunity will cost the country in tax revenue.
This is in addition to the message that these two deals send: If you are connected, you can commit crimes or not pay the lawful amount of taxes and nothing bad will happen to you. Instead, you will be enriched by your misconduct on the backs of your fellow citizens.
The worst part about this is that Trump did it because he knows he can get away with it. The Republican Party either blindly believes the nonsense Trump is saying to justify it or is afraid to do anything about it. A recent example of the loyalty to Trump and vengeance against those who follow the law involves Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. Raffensperger had the courage to stand up to Trump when Trump wanted him to “find votes” that Trump needed to win in Georgia during the 2020 presidential election. Raffensperger was soundly defeated in the Republican primary for Governor. Trump likes to talk about “the greatest” when mentioning things. This deal may be the greatest example of blatant corruption involving taxpayer money in the history of the country.
