Judge says Trump tried to 'manipulate the judicial process' with $10 billion IRS lawsuit
A federal judge has dismissed a $10 billion lawsuit filed by Donald Trump against the IRS, labeling it a manipulative attempt to legitimize a settlement fund for political allies. The judge sanctioned Trump's attorneys and suggested potential disciplinary action for their role in the filing.
Why it matters
The ruling highlights judicial scrutiny over legal strategies that attempt to use the court system to bypass standard regulatory or legislative processes.
President Donald Trump's $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS received a blistering rebuke by a federal judge on Monday. SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images A US judge issued a full-throated repudiation of Trump in a Monday ruling, POLITICO reported . Trump's lawsuit attempted to justify a settlement with an "anti-weaponization" fund, Judge Kathleen Williams wrote. She sanctioned two of Trump's personal attorneys who signed the initial complaint against the IRS. A federal judge held Monday that President Donald Trump's $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS was manufactured simply to justify its settlement, including a multibillion-dollar "anti-weaponization" fund for political allies and a shield from IRS scrutiny. "This lawsuit was not brought to vindicate rights; it was brought to manipulate the judicial process," US District Judge Kathleen Williams wrote in a blistering 56-page ruling , POLITICO reported.
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