Key facts
- A federal judge found President Donald Trump's $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS was manufactured to justify a settlement.
- The settlement included a multibillion-dollar "anti-weaponization" fund for political allies.
- U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams stated the lawsuit was an attempt to manipulate the judicial process.
- Williams sanctioned two of Trump's attorneys, Alejandro Brito and Daniel Epstein.
- Brito was referred to the Florida bar for potential discipline.
- Epstein was banned from practicing in the Southern District of Florida for at least a year.
A federal judge has accused President Donald Trump of manufacturing a $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS to justify a settlement that included a multibillion-dollar "anti-weaponization" fund for political allies. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams stated in a 54-page ruling that the lawsuit was not intended to vindicate rights but to manipulate the judicial process and legitimize an agreement conferring immunity and earmarking taxpayer funds.
Williams noted that the federal government's failure to counter arguments about the arrangement's unconstitutionality, and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's unilateral cancellation of the Anti-Weaponization Fund, signaled the lawsuit's lack of genuineness. The judge suggested that Blanche and Associate Attorney General Stan Woodward might face investigative or disciplinary action from state bar associations.
Two of Trump's personal attorneys who signed the initial complaint, Alejandro Brito and Daniel Epstein, were sanctioned. Brito was referred to the Florida bar for potential discipline, while Epstein received a one-year ban from practicing in the Southern District of Florida. The ruling also bars the plaintiffs, including Trump, and certain agencies from citing the agreement as evidence of a formal settlement in official proceedings.