You do your part and pay your taxes. You don’t expect that money to possibly line the pockets of the president’s allies.
The new "Anti-Weaponization Fund" may be the Trump administration’s most nakedly corrupt move yet.
President Trump was suing the IRS for "at least" $10 billion over leaked tax documents. That lawsuit was bogus from the start—riddled with legal defects and, of course, a blatant conflict of interest. As the de facto head of the Justice Department and the IRS, Trump was suing himself. He could hand himself the victory.
But before the case could even go to trial, Trump’s lawyers in the Justice Department settled with him. In exchange for dropping the suit, the president got a handsome consolation prize: an agreement barring the IRS from auditing any tax returns he or his family have submitted. And the Justice Department agreed to set aside nearly $1.8 billion to pay victims of purported government "weaponization," with no obvious oversight or criteria.
That money belongs to the American people. And if this settlement stands, the message is clear: Presidents can shake down the government for your tax dollars.
Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers have denounced this slush fund, even proposing legislation to block it.
That’s where you come in. It’s critical that they hear your outrage and know that their constituents are demanding they stop this outrageous theft of tax dollars.
POGO has been tracking this from the start, and we know exactly where your voice will help the most. Tell Congress: You hold the purse strings. You can block this self-dealing settlement.
