DOJ Quietly Bans IRS From Ever Investigating Trump Again

One of the first of Donald Trump’s many presidential scandals was in 2016, when he refused to release his tax returns as previous presidents and presidential candidates had done for 40 years.

On Tuesday, Trump’s Department of Justice essentially ensured his taxes would never be properly audited again.

As part of a settlement between the president and the IRS, the DOJ “forever barred and precluded” the IRS from pursuing Trump, his family members, and his companies over any unpaid taxes.

This key addition to the settlement was signed by acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. It was not released as part of the publicly available settlement agreement on Monday. Instead, the details were unceremoniously posted to the DOJ’s website a day later. Readers may recall that Blanche took over after Trump reportedly grew frustrated with Pam Bondi’s ability to secure indictments against his political enemies.

Trump has been investigated by the IRS since he was just a humble casino owner. He even falsely claimed that a tax audit meant he could not release his tax returns during his first term (the IRS commissioner clarified that he totally could if he wanted).

Protection from future audits could save the president tons of money in fines. In 2024, The New York Times found one such audit could cost Trump over $100 million.

The settlement is a result of Trump dropping his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS after an employee leaked his tax returns to the Times and ProPublica between 2018 and 2020. Since the suit was dropped, the IRS has also agreed to create a slush fund worth nearly $1.8 billion to pay January 6 rioters and members of Trump’s own super PAC who are deemed to have been unfairly persecuted by the Biden administration.

Critics had already labeled the fund one of the most blatantly fraudulent creations of Trump’s second term. Now Trump and his allies appear to have swindled the federal government for yet more financial and legal gain.

This story has been updated.

President Trump’s decision to endorse Ken Paxton in the Texas Senate race has left many Republicans fuming.

Paxton, Texas’s scandal-plagued attorney general, is in a runoff in the state’s Republican primary against incumbent John Cornyn, who has the support of many of his Senate colleagues. Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska reportedly told The Hill that she was “supremely disappointed” by Trump’s endorsement, adding, “I don’t understand it.”

Murkowski also said that Republicans will likely have a tougher time retaining the seat against Democratic nominee James Talarico, who is polling very well.

“Based on the numbers that I’ve seen, yeah,” Murkowski said, regarding the risk that the GOP will lose the Senate. “How does that help strengthen the president’s hand when we lose a state like Texas?”

Senator Susan Collins said that she didn’t understand why Trump endorsed Paxton, calling him an “ethically challenged individual” due to his many scandals, which include defrauding investors in a tech startup and an extramarital affair leading to his wife divorcing him on “biblical grounds.”

“John Cornyn is an outstanding senator and deserved in my judgment the president’s support. Obviously it’s the president’s call but I’m disappointed that he did it,” Collins told The Hill.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who for months tried to lobby Trump to support Cornyn, had a serious expression when reporters asked him Tuesday about the president’s endorsement, only saying, “It’s his decision.” Senator Roger Wicker walked into a lunch meeting with his head bowed and ignored reporters’ questions about the endorsement.

“I’m speechless,” Senator Rob Johnson told CNN’s Manu Raju when asked about Trump’s choice, taking a long pause before answering, adding that he “really [had] no comment.”

Unlike his colleagues, Senator Lindsey Graham was optimistic, telling Raju that “you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out the pathway for Paxton is there, but it’s more uphill, and it will cost more.”

In Trump’s own words, “Ken is a true MAGA Warrior who has ALWAYS delivered for Texas, and will continue to do so in the United States Senate.” In contrast, while Trump said Cornyn is a “good man, and I worked well with him,” the incumbent senator “was not supportive of me when times were tough” and “was very late in backing me in what turned out to be a Historic Run for the Republican Nomination, and then, the Presidency, itself.”

If Trump’s endorsement propels Paxton to win in next week’s runoff, Democrats may have a better shot at winning the race, as Paxton’s scandals give him a lot in common with the president. But Texas is a strong Republican state that voted for Trump three times, so nothing is certain.

Eighteen survivors of millionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein accused acting Attorney General Todd Blanche of lying under oath on Tuesday during a Senate Appropriations hearing, claiming he met with the survivors and their lawyers when he never did.

“Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has not met with any of us. As survivors, we previously sought a meeting with former Attorney General Bondi and Department of Justice officials, but no meeting occurred,” the survivors said in a statement. “We should not have to be this persistent to engage with DOJ—the department responsible for handling the Epstein files, protecting their privacy, and answering for years of secrecy and failure.

“We have already reported abuse and allegations involving Epstein and associated perpetrators to the FBI and federal authorities many times over the course of years. We should not be asked to relive their trauma again and again because the system failed to act. The burden is not on us to keep making reports. It is on the DOJ to investigate credible allegations against perpetrators and co-conspirators, and to account for the government’s mishandling of these matters,” they continued. “Given Blanche’s comments, we are again asking DOJ to meet directly with survivors and their counsel not to ask survivors to start over, but to hear their concerns, explain how these failures occurred, and provide clear answers about the release, redaction, and withholding of Epstein-related records going forward.”

Blanche claimed to have met with the survivors and their lawyers, during an exchange with Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen.

“I spoke to the representatives of some of the Epstein survivors yesterday. They are extremely frustrated that you keep calling for people to come forward with more evidence, but you have not met with them to hear their stories,” Van Hollen said. “So simple question: If I connect you with these survivors, will you meet with them?”

“Absolutely. And what you just said is false. I have met with them. I’ve met with many of the lawyers for the survivors of victims, as did Attorney General Bondi,” Blanche replied. “So whoever told you that unfortunately gave you bad information. I would encourage them to reach out to the Department of Justice.… We absolutely care for victims and we absolutely wanna hear from them and their lawyers.”

“Well I’ve been told directly,” Van Hollen said. “They have not had a chance, at least this group, to meet with you.”

Now it’s the word of the president’s former personal lawyer against the word of 18 Epstein survivors.

In an interview on Fox News, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin blamed Democrats’ refusal to fund ICE for the mass shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego on Monday and said places of worship should “hire their own security.”

“President Trump has assemblied [sic] a great team in Kash Patel, myself, the White House,” Mullin stated. “We work together all the time to work with these religious establishments. We’ve had FEMA grants they can use to help protect themselves. Unfortunately, for the last 76 days we were shut down, so we’re just not getting those grants out, so they have to hire their own security.”

Mullin is twisting the truth here; FEMA, along with the rest of the Department of Homeland Security, was fully funded 19 days ago. FEMA could have been funded far earlier if congressional Republicans agreed to separate ICE funding from the rest of DHS, which was discussed as early as February.

More importantly, though, are grants for more guns and security around places of worship really the way to go to stop shootings? How about, you know, gun control? The thing that’s successfully curbed mass shootings in dozens of other countries around the world?

To stop shootings at Muslim centers, how about ending the Islamophobic, white nationalist rhetoric that Donald Trump and his Cabinet frequently espouse? Mullin himself is one of the most bellicose government officials in recent memory. He said he understood why a crazed neighbor attacked Senator Rand Paul in 2017, and has made public threats to kill journalists, which he downplayed as joking around after media backlash.

Unsurprisingly, Fox News sleazebag Sean Hannity did not question Mullin’s ridiculous comments on Monday night, nor did he point out that the Islamic Center actually had hired a private security guard, who was killed in the shooting. Amin Abdullah, a father of eight, was credited by local police with preventing more deaths.

Hannity instead opted to fearmonger and ignore the religious aspect of the shooting. “Let’s protect our homeland,” he sneered.

San Diego police say they are investigating the shooting as a hate crime.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche can’t handle the heat created by his own office.

The Justice Department chief immediately lashed out while getting grilled on Capitol Hill Tuesday, accusing Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen of lying about a very real case in which a pardoned January 6er—Andrew Paul Johnson—was found guilty of child molestation shortly after Donald Trump freed him.

“That person actually tried to buy the silence of these children by saying that he would pay them some of the funds he was hoping to get from your slush fund,” Van Hollen said, referring to the Justice Department’s forthcoming $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund,” a taxpayer-funded initiative to effectively give reparations to allies of the president, including riot defendants.

“Can you commit to making the rules so that that person is not eligible for a payout under this fund?” asked Van Hollen.

But Blanche could not provide a simple, affirmative answer.

“Well you’re obviously lying in your question, because there’s no way this person committed to that,” Blanche said. “The slush fund, as you call it, which is not—but I can’t commit—”

“Mr. Attorney General, don’t ever do that again,” Van Hollen interjected, pointing his finger. “I am reporting what he said. He said on the expectation that he hoped to get some of the funds from a payout.”

“But you said from the slush fund, senator, and that didn’t exist when he said that,” Blanche refuted.

“This is the fund that the president and all of you have been telegraphing, all along, would use to help the president’s friends,” Van Hollen clarified.

Later in the same exchange, Van Hollen accused Blanche of being ignorant and unaware of critical happenings under the purview of his office. Blanche, in turn, continued to deflect.

U.S. pardon attorney Ed Martin and DOJ official Jonathan Gross are just two of the figures within the Trump administration who have advocated for financially compensating those that stormed the Capitol building on January 6, 2021.

Last year, Martin told right-wing commentator Tucker Carlson that it would be “only fair” to make the rioters “whole.”

Gross said on a podcast in December 2024 that “there has to be compensation.”

“People’s lives have been destroyed,” Gross said at the time. “And the way they can do that is they can just let everybody file a lawsuit and settle the lawsuits.”

Democrats attempted to stave off such payments in January, when California Senator Alex Padilla introduced the “No Rewards for January 6 Rioters Act,” but the bill has made no progress since.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche appeared to be panicking during a Senate Appropriations hearing Tuesday as he tried to justify President Trump’s “Anti-Weaponization Fund” and his own visit with convicted child sex offender and Epstein co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell. 

“You’re gonna assure us that President Trump will get no proceeds from this [fund] … his family will not get [any proceeds]?” Democratic Senator Jack Reed asked in an intense line of questioning on the recently announced $1.8 billion fund.

“Correct,” replied Blanche. 

“And who will direct the distribution of these, who gets the money?” 

“From the victims’ fund? Well, there’ll be a commission of five individuals that’ll be set up, and they’ll take in requests and claims and decide whether to do anything—”

“Who will name the commissioners?” Reed interrupted. 

“I will … whoever the attorney general is … and one of them will be done in consultation with leadership of this body,” said Blanche, ignoring reports that Trump himself will have ultimate say on who remains on the committee.

After pointing to the resignation of the top lawyer at the Department of Treasury following the announcement of the fund, Reed again tried to point out the lines being crossed with the fund.

“This all seems to be an obvious abuse of power by the Department of Justice, by the president,” the Rhode Island senator said. “He negotiated essentially with himself. You’re his appointee. The IRS are his appointees. He’s the plaintiff. And the American people I don’t think are surprised that certainly all this money is going to his friends, or people … in his orbit. Will you ensure that none of this money goes to anyone convicted in the January 6 attack on the Congress?”

“Well, the commissioners will determine who is eligible to receive the money,” Blanche replied. 

“Who are the commissioners?”

“They’re not named yet.”

“Who will name them?” 

“The attorney general will. It’s not me.” 

“With the suggestion of the president of the United States, your boss?”

“I have no idea if he will or not. I really don’t.” 

“I would be shocked if he didn’t tell you exactly who to put on, and I’d be more shocked if you did not put them on. This is a travesty of the law.” 

Reed then pivoted hard to Blanche’s interview with Maxwell and her special treatment in prison. 

“You had an opportunity to go down and talk to Ghislaine Maxwell. And then a few days later she was transferred from a high-security prison to a very comfortable, very comfortable—” 

“That’s not true. It’s just not true,” Blanche responded. “She was transferred from a low-security prison to a low-security prison. You’re looking at me.… That’s verifiable.” 

“Well I don’t think at the other prison she had her own room, she had access to a private shower, she could have pet therapy—” 

“I don’t know if any of that is true, I’m not disagreeing with you—”

“It is true, and you should know it,” said Reed.

“I should know that? Whether an inmate has access to her own shower?” 

“No, no. This is a person of extra special interest to the president of the United States. He’s known her. Why did he send you down to talk to her?” 

“He didn’t send me. I went. You think President Trump called and asked me to go interview a witness in federal prison? I didn’t!” 

“Yes, I do, frankly,” said Reed, talking over Blanche. “Because you know what? The deal was in. He needed someone he could rely upon to talk to her and say, ‘What would she say if she was asked about Jeffery Epstein?’ And you were the perfect choice. And you went down there and suddenly, shazam! She’s out of what is a more confining situation into a much more relaxed federal prison.” 

“Every word that I asked her is recorded and available for you to review,” Blanche said, ignoring the question about Maxwell’s new digs, which included special access to staff-only areas and a service puppy, according to The New York Times.  

“This hearing I think is exposing something, which is to me very frightening,” Reed replied. “From my perspective, you have very little faith to the Constitution and the people of America, and you’re the president’s consigliere.” 

“Your perspective is completely wrong, senator,” said Blanche.

“Well, I think the facts will prove me right. Thank you.”

In a brilliant metaphor for the state of our country, billionaire and septuagenarian President Donald J. Trump stood next to a massive hole in the White House lawn to give a press conference on Tuesday.

Trump is attempting to have an enormous ballroom for himself built in the hole—more fitting symbolism given the state of the American economy.

At the press conference, Trump picked up a poster-board mock-up of the ballroom and began to ramble.

“It’s so beautiful,” Trump said, holding the mock-up to his chest. “See, I look so thin. They’ll say, ‘Oh, he’s gotten so thin.’ It’s because I’m holding this. You don’t have to look at my waist. You can look at this. You saw enough of my waist all over President Xi in China.”

A few things here. First, the fact this is one of the more coherent jokes delivered by the president during his second term should tell us all something about the state of his mental health.

Secondly, Trump’s waist was “all over” Xi Jinping during his China trip? Phrasing, dude.

Thirdly, this is a rare piece of self-deprecating humor from our commander in chief, who almost never jokes about his own pudginess. Indeed, Trump’s bodily measurements have been contentious for years—his 2025 medical listed him at six feet, three inches tall and 224 pounds, which was comparable to Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown.

That medical exam, however, also revealed that Trump’s body mass index was in the “overweight” category. (Trump fell into the “obese” category in 2020, so this was actually an improvement.) That, plus the president’s penchant for Diet Coke and McDonalds, means even an egotist like Trump understands he’s no Chalamet.

Trump has for months claimed the ballroom project will be entirely funded through “donations,” but Senate Republicans, at the president’s request, have directed $1 billion in taxpayer money to go toward ballroom “security.” The allotment was recently deemed spurious by the nonpartisan Senate parliamentarian, so Trump has, of course, moved to have her fired.

Tuesday’s press conference above the pit was actually catered by the White House. Bacon, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwiches, Coca-Cola, and Diet Coke were on offer, with nary a fruit or vegetable to be seen.

New Jersey Republican Representative Thomas Kean Jr. hasn’t voted on a single bill since March 5, but his constituents might be none the wiser.

Kean’s office has been blasting out cheery newsletters, written in the congressman’s voice, despite his long-standing absence.

“In Congress, I am focused on delivering real results for our law enforcement and local communities,” read one recent e-letter. “I will always stand with our men and women in blue.”

The letter was quickly called out by other politicos. Aaron Fritschner, chief of staff to Democratic Representative Don Beyer, wrote on X that “Tom Kean’s office is still sending out constituent newsletters like the guy hasn’t vanished off the face of the earth.”

CNN journalist Andrew Kaczynski called the newsletter’s tone “creepy and weird,” given Kean’s inexplicable disappearance.

Kean consultant Harrison Neely fired back, claiming that the charge was “rich” coming from a “‘journalist’ who has called the Congressman’s daughter and family members of staff.”

In return, Kaczynski snarked: “Consultants for Tom Kean are now attacking reporters for inquiring about his whereabouts.”

Kean was missing in action for weeks before he offered any explanation. His meager response was the culmination of a small pressure campaign fronted by journalists, his constituents, and his tristate Republican allies.

Last month, Kean told House Speaker Mike Johnson over the phone that he was dealing with an unspecified “personal health matter.” Neely told Politico that Kean will be “back on a regular full schedule very soon.”

Since then, Johnson has confessed he doesn’t know when Kean will return, while aides to GOP leadership have said they “don’t have any idea what’s going on” with Kean.

Kean was elected to represent New Jersey’s 7th congressional district in 2022, and is months away from being thrust into a contentious midterm reelection cycle. He is currently unchallenged in the Garden State’s Republican primary, scheduled for June 2, but is likely to face tremendous opposition from Democrats come November. Over the last several months, New Jersey’s 7th congressional district has shifted from a “lean Republican” advantage to a total toss-up, according to an analysis by the Cook Political Report.

His absence in the race has apparently inspired his competition: The topic practically consumed his potential competition during a Democratic debate on May 12, according to the Bergen Record.

President Trump’s grasp of the Iran war is becoming more unhinged.

Speaking to the press outside of the White House Tuesday with his prized ballroom under construction behind him, Trump bragged about the economy in his first presidential term, claiming that it was “the best economy we’ve ever had” and that “this term is going to blow it away, I think,” even with the Iran war.

“I thought the market would go down 25 percent, and I was OK with that to get rid of a nuclear potential holocaust. Would have been a nuclear holocaust. So, going down 25 percent’s OK when you get rid of a nuclear holocaust, so, uh, most people agree with me,” Trump said.

Trump went on to brag about how the war is being received by the American people, telling reporters, “Politically, I’m doing good.

“Everyone tells me [the war] is unpopular, but I think it’s very popular. When they hear that it’s having to do with nuclear weapons, weapons that could take out Los Angeles, could take out major cities, very quick, when they hear that—I tell you what, when we explain it to people, I don’t really have enough time to explain to people. I’m too busy getting it done,” Trump said. “I think it’s frankly very popular, but whether it’s popular or not popular, I have to do it, because I’m not going to let the world be blown up on my watch. Not gonna happen.”

In reality, the war is so unpopular that it has brought down Trump’s approval rating to its lowest level ever, according to a recent New York Times poll. The same poll found that most Americans think the war isn’t worth the cost or that the economy is going to improve. Meanwhile, Trump goes back and forth between threatening to break the ceasefire with Iran and claiming a deal is close. It’s little wonder that most Americans lack confidence in the president.

As the Department of Justice launches a $1.776 billion fund to pay damages to the president and his allies, Democrats in Congress are launching an investigation into the man overseeing the whole thing: acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.

Senators Adam Schiff, Dick Durbin, and Richard Blumenthal want to know whether Blanche, who previously served as Trump’s personal defense attorney, has recused himself from President Trump’s personal civil lawsuits against the government.

“Since last year, the Department has systematically dismantled the agency’s internal guardrails, gutting both the career ethics staff and the Office of Professional Responsibility, and has refused to provide any answers to Congress about these egregious actions,” the senators wrote in a letter to Assistant Attorney General for Administration Jolene Lauria.

The letter contains 10 questions about whether Blanche has recused himself from Trump’s cases, as well as whether he has received ethics advice about his past representation of Trump in personal matters. The senators are also asking, “What is the last date that Mr. Blanche provided personal legal advice to Donald Trump or served as his personal attorney?”

The letter cites CNN’s report last week that Blanche was told in March 2025, after he joined the DOJ, that he had to recuse himself from Trump’s personal cases against the government by Joseph Tirrell, the top ethics lawyer in the department.

“Recent public reporting revealed that in March 2025, less than two weeks after assuming the role of Deputy Attorney General, Mr. Blanche was explicitly and formally advised by the Department’s top career ethics lawyer that his recusal from legal cases involving President Trump in his personal capacity was necessary,” the letter said.

A DOJ spokesperson told CNN that Blanche “is recused from many cases before DOJ. In any cases that are still ongoing where he previously represented someone, he is recused.”

“To the extent DOJ is investigating something related to the President for which Todd was previously representing him, then hypothetically yes, he would recuse,” the spokesperson said, but added that this remains a “hypothetical.”

That’s not particularly reassuring, considering that Trump now has a slush fund to compensate his supporters whom he thinks were unfairly punished, and this could include anyone from January 6 insurrectionists to election deniers. On top of that, Tirrell was fired in July, and he’s currently suing the DOJ. Are ethics no longer a concern at the DOJ?