{"id":2608442,"date":"2026-05-29T21:11:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-30T01:11:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-reopens-trump-irs-lawsuit-to-investigate-anti-weaponization-fund\/"},"modified":"2026-05-29T21:12:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T01:12:17","slug":"judge-reopens-trump-irs-lawsuit-to-investigate-anti-weaponization-fund","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-reopens-trump-irs-lawsuit-to-investigate-anti-weaponization-fund\/","title":{"rendered":"Judge reopens Trump IRS lawsuit to investigate &#8216;anti-weaponization&#8217; fund"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fjudge-reopens-trump-irs-lawsuit-to-investigate-anti-weaponization-fund%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2608442&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A federal judge in Florida reopened President Donald Trump\u2019s $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS to scrutinize a nearly $1.8 billion \u201canti-weaponization\u201d settlement fund created after the case was previously dismissed. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams cited concerns raised by 35 former federal judges, saying the plaintiffs-Trump and his family-dismissed the litigation to avoid judicial review and suggesting the settlement was \u201ccollusive from the start,\u201d allegedly involving \u201cdeception.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The anti-weaponization fund,announced by the Department of Justice,is intended to compensate people who claim thay were victims of federal government weaponization during the Biden management,and it has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/who-is-trevian-kutti-former-kanye-west-publicist-charged-in-trump-georgia-indictment\/\" title=\"Trevian Kutti, ex-Kanye West publicist, faces charges in ... Georgia ....\">faced multiple legal challenges<\/a>. Democrats have criticized the fund as a taxpayer-backed benefit for Trump allies,while the DOJ says claim review does not involve partisan criteria. Williams ordered the parties to respond to the former judges\u2019 motion by June 12.<\/p>\n<p>Under the original settlement, Trump and his family received protection from IRS tax audits, and the broader dispute traces back to a leak of Trump\u2019s confidential tax returns by an IRS contractor during his first term; that contractor was later sentenced to prison.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A federal judge in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/florida\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"159\">Florida<\/a> reopened President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"4\">Donald Trump<\/a>\u2018s $10 billion lawsuit against the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/irs\" type=\"link\" id=\"washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/irs\">IRS<\/a> on Friday to investigate the nearly $1.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-may-release-his-tax-returns-after-irs-settlement\/\" title=\"... &#039;may release&#039; his ... after ... ...\">8 billion \u201canti-weaponization\u201d fund<\/a> that resulted from the settlement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams, an appointee of former President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/barack-obama\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"360\">Barack Obama<\/a>, revived the case in response to a request from 35 former federal judges this week that she look into whether Trump took advantage of the system.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4588097\/who-is-judge-christopher-cooper-trump-kennedy-center\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Who is Christopher Cooper, the judge who blocked Trump\u2019s plans for the Kennedy Center?<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4587976\/judge-prevents-kennedy-center-closure-forces-trump-name-removal\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump slams judge for reversing Kennedy Center name change and blocking closure<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4587695\/des-moines-superintendent-sentenced-two-years-prison\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Former Des Moines superintendent sentenced to two years in prison<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In her retelling of their argument, she <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.flsd.706172\/gov.uscourts.flsd.706172.65.0_1.pdf\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.flsd.706172\/gov.uscourts.flsd.706172.65.0_1.pdf\">said<\/a> the plaintiffs, namely Trump and his family, \u201cvoluntarily dismissed this litigation solely to avoid judicial scrutiny of a lawsuit that \u2018was collusive from the start\u2019 and was only filed to provide the imprimatur of legality for an unlawful settlement.\u201d Williams also said they asserted the dismissal was \u201cpremised on deception.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Their comments refer to the deal made between Trump and the IRS that established a $1.776 billion fund compensating victims who claim they were victims of federal weaponization during the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/biden-administration\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"445\">Biden administration<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/department-of-justice\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"438\">Department of Justice<\/a> announced the anti-weaponization fund this month, vowing to pay the alleged victims after they were denied justice. The fund, however, has been temporarily blocked by a separate federal judge. That ruling was also issued on Friday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The fund is the subject of multiple lawsuits, including one filed in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/washington-dc\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"260\">Washington, D.C.<\/a>, federal court by two police officers who worked during the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. Hundreds of pardoned Jan. 6 defendants are eligible for compensation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Democrats have largely criticized the fund because they view it as a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >taxpayer-funded slush fund<\/a> for Trump\u2019s allies, but the DOJ says \u201cno partisan requirements\u201d are taken into consideration when reviewing eligible claims.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As the IRS case proceeds in court, Williams ordered the plaintiffs to respond to the former federal judges\u2019 motion by June 12.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In exchange for dropping the lawsuit, Trump is no longer subject to tax audits by the IRS. Those tax benefits apply to his two oldest sons and family business as well.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump filed the lawsuit years after an IRS contractor at Booz Allen Hamilton leaked his confidential tax returns during his first term. The former contractor, Charles Littlejohn, was later sentenced to five years in prison for the unauthorized disclosure of the tax information.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4586947\/federal-judge-blocks-doj-anti-weaponization-fund\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4586947\/federal-judge-blocks-doj-anti-weaponization-fund\/\">FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS DOJ\u2019S $1.776 BILLION \u2018ANTI-WEAPONIZATION\u2019 FUND<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The massive leak happened after Trump declined to voluntarily release his tax returns to the public. Traditionally, presidents have done so ever since former President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/richard-nixon\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1610\">Richard Nixon<\/a> during the Watergate scandal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Last week, Trump <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4576980\/trump-may-release-tax-returns-irs-settlement\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4576980\/trump-may-release-tax-returns-irs-settlement\/\">said<\/a> he \u201cmay release\u201d his current tax returns \u201cbecause they show I pay a lot of money.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Florida judge reopens Trump IRS suit over $1.8B fund<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2159,"featured_media":2608443,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26147625405982.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[8362,4585,3634],"class_list":["post-2608442","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-irs","tag-lawsuit","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26147625405982.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2608442","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2159"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2608442"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2608442\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2608446,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2608442\/revisions\/2608446"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2608443"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2608442"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2608442"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2608442"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}