Donald Trump effort to get out from paying taxes IS said to be illegal on several levels say the experts…..
And Trump (a convicted felon) use of his office to make an ‘inside’ deal in public makes it worse …
The more media expose and questions?
The worse this move by a guy who has ‘fraud’ legal history problems all over the place…
President Trump’s return to office has been an unforgiving crucible for the hidebound Internal Revenue Service. He and his aides have decimated its ranks, fired and replaced its leaders and made repeated attempts to enlist the agency in his quest for political retribution.
Now, as part of an arrangement drawn up this week by Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general, the I.R.S. faces its most profound legal and ethical test yet: a demand to drop any audits of Mr. Trump, his family members or their “affiliates.”
Tax lawyers and former I.R.S. officials said such expansive protection would cut to the core of the agency’s mission to collect taxes in a disinterested, nonpartisan way — and could potentially run afoul of the laws governing how it does so.
“It’s just completely contrary to the notion that you’re supposed to comply with the law and the I.R.S. is there to make sure you do that,” said George Yin, a tax law professor and former chief of staff at the congressional Joint Committee on Taxation. “The idea that you can get a free pass from the I.R.S. or anyone can get a free pass from the I.R.S. is just completely ridiculous.”….
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While the Justice Department has said Mr. Trump himself will not be paid out of that fund, an end to any and all audits based on tax returns previously filed could be quite lucrative for the Trumps. The New York Times reported in 2024 that an adverse ruling in an I.R.S. audit could cost Mr. Trump more than $100 million, though it is unclear if that examination is still underway.
The nine-page outline creating the $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund was agreed to and signed on Monday by Frank Bisignano, who leads the I.R.S. as its chief executive officer. The one-page addendum calling for the I.R.S. to drop any audits of Mr. Trump and his family members was released the next day and signed by only Mr. Blanche.
That has raised the question of how, and if, the leader of the Justice Department can control decisions made at the I.R.S., which falls under the Treasury Department.
“There’s a genuine question as to whether the attorney general can do this,” said Daniel Hemel, a tax law professor at New York University. “I can’t think of precedent where the attorney general signs a piece of paper that ends audits for a large number of people.”…
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The I.R.S. has historically made a point of not giving the president special treatment. Its internal procedures call for the mandatory audit of the president’s annual tax returns. And, unlike the Justice Department, the I.R.S. is subject to a federal law that bars the president, vice president or their aides from influencing or directing its investigations. I.R.S. agents can face prison time if they carry out a politically motivated audit or halt one at the direction of the White House.
The prohibition includes an apparent carve-out for the attorney general, but I.R.S. officials may still be wary of heeding Mr. Blanche’s order if they wonder whether White House officials or other Trump aides were involved in crafting it. A future Justice Department led by a Democrat could well investigate a halt to audits of Mr. Trump…..
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The top lawyer at the Treasury Department, Brian Morrissey, resigned on Monday over his concerns about the resolution to Mr. Trump’s lawsuit against the I.R.S., three people familiar with his thinking said. Mr. Morrissey has not responded to requests for comment, and it is unclear if the audit protections, signed by Mr. Blanche the day after Mr. Morrissey left the government, specifically prompted him to resign.
But during his confirmation hearing to be Treasury’s general counsel last year, Mr. Morrissey said he was aware of the statute preventing the president from directing I.R.S. audits.
“It’s imperative that the only considerations that the I.R.S. is considering are the facts and the evidence with respect to that taxpayer and not any political considerations,” Mr. Morrissey said last June…..
Note….
Even if Trump forces ‘his’ IRS and Justice Dept. people to uphold the illegal getaway?
The next President IS sure to drop the agreement as illegally obtained …..
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