US justice department ‘forever’ bars IRS from auditing Trump’s tax returns
The US Justice Department has added a provision that permanently bars the IRS from auditing Donald Trump's tax returns. This amendment was included in a controversial agreement that establishes a $1.776 billion fund to compensate Trump's allies. The arrangement has faced significant scrutiny and criticism from lawmakers, particularly regarding its transparency and accountability.
- ▪The Justice Department's amendment prohibits the IRS from examining Trump's tax returns indefinitely.
- ▪The fund created is intended to compensate allies of Trump and is loosely controlled.
- ▪Critics, including Senate Democrats, have raised concerns about the lack of transparency in the fund's operations.
10 outlets in our directory ran this story, first to last over 31 hours. Coverage spans 3 points on the political spectrum — 4 lean left, 3 centre, 2 lean right.
- ▪ U.S. government to drop tax claims against Trump in broadening of IRS settlement — NPR Topics: News
- ▪ IRS will not pursue Trump for back taxes under settlement agreement — France 24 (EN)
- ▪ US drops tax claims against Donald Trump under IRS settlement — Times of India — Top
- ▪ Justice Department agrees not to pursue any tax claims against Trump as part of IRS deal — NBC News — Politics
- ▪ US to drop tax claims against Trump ‘forever’, in IRS lawsuit deal — South China Morning Post
- ▪ U.S. to permanently drop tax claims against Trump in broadening of IRS lawsuit settlement — The Globe and Mail
- ▪ Trump Settles His Own Lawsuit Against the IRS for $1.8 Billion of Your Money — Reason Magazine
- ▪ Why Trump’s $1.8 Billion IRS Settlement Could Actually Cost Him Money — Forbes — Business
- ▪ Trump, DOJ settle $10 billion lawsuit against IRS and Treasury Department over leaked tax returns — CBS News — Top
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| Original publisher | The Guardian — US |
| Canonical URL | https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/19/trump-irs-settlement-tax-returns |
| Publication time | Tue, 19 May 2026 19:25:27 GMT |
| Retrieval time | 2026-05-19T19:29:57.912Z |
| Last seen | 2026-05-19T19:29:57.912Z |
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| Cluster | r2bXQCPMS_pp · 10 stories |
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Signage outside the US Department of Justice headquarters in Washington DC. Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty ImagesView image in fullscreenSignage outside the US Department of Justice headquarters in Washington DC. Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty ImagesDonald TrumpUS justice department ‘forever’ bars IRS from auditing Trump’s past tax returnsAddendum quietly slipped into widely criticized agreement creating a $1.7bn fund to compensate president’s alliesSam Levine in New YorkTue 19 May 2026 15.25 EDTLast modified on Tue 19 May 2026 15.28 EDTSharePrefer the Guardian on GoogleThe justice department quietly added a provision barring the IRS from auditing Donald Trump’s tax returns on Tuesday, amending a widely criticized agreement that creates a secretive and loosely controlled $1.776bn fund to…
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