Trump's Government Moves to Spare an Unhappy Taxpayer Named Trump

Trump sued the government he leads and settled by barring the Internal Revenue Service from auditing his past tax returns. The deal includes handing $1.8 billion of taxpayer money to his allies. The actions are framed as self-dealing that advances personal interests and those of family and supporters more openly than prior presidents. His immunity from IRS audits is described as a get-out-of-audits-free card that could function like forgiving past tax offenses and penalties. The piece notes that the outcome could potentially avoid paying $100 million or more based on prior estimates. It also links the taxpayer payout to supporters, potentially including those involved in the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol attack.

"Sue the government he runs, then settle the lawsuit with himself by barring the Internal Revenue Service from auditing his past returns. And as part of that deal, hand over $1.8 billion of taxpayer money to his allies. President Trump has used the federal government to advance his own personal interests and those of his family and allies more expansively and openly than any past occupant of the White House."

"His self-granted writ of immunity from I.R.S. audits amounts to a get-out-of-audits-free card, essentially the equivalent of pardoning himself for any past offenses and forgiving any tax debt or penalties. While the status of any now-short-circuited audits is not publicly known, his action could theoretically save him from paying $100 million or more, based on past estimates of what his liability might have been under an unfavorable I.R.S. decision."

"While deeply unpopular with the general public, he has demonstrated as recently as this week that he remains the undisputed master of his own party, and therefore appears to feel that he can do as he likes without fear of Congress standing in his way. His self-granted writ of immunity from I.R.S. audits amounts to a get-out-of-audits-free card, essentially the equivalent of pardoning himself for any past offenses and forgiving any tax debt or penalties."

"The I.R.S. audit immunity for himself, along with the taxpayer payout to his supporters potentially including those who attacked the Capitol and beat police officers on Jan. 6, 2021, in an effort to overturn an election that Mr. Trump lost stand out in their brazenness, yet not in what they say about his underlying approach to governance in his sixth year in office."

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