An Internal Revenue Service (IRS) sign is seen outside its building on February 13, 2025 in Washington, DC (Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)
American political history is replete with examples of corruption. The post-Civil War era was then referred to as the Great Barbecue, when ethics in public life collapsed. There were embezzling treasurers, bribing lobbyists, bought-off newspapermen and fraudsters at the cash register. But the Trump administration just tried to pull off a corrupt deal so bold it would make Reconstruction-era crooks blush. Good people, including West Virginia’s congressional delegation, cannot look away.
There was some corruption in West Virginia, but we usually managed to right the ship and send the miscreants away, sometimes even to prison. No political party is immune. We sent governors Wally Barron (a Democrat) and Arch Moore (a Republican) to prison. And the entire political structure of Logan County needs to be cleaned up on a regular basis. But Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service and his proposed settlement are something entirely different. They carried out a massive raid on the US Treasury, which was supposed to be paid for by taxpayers.
Trump v. Internal Revenue Service
Most presidential candidates disclose their tax returns. Trump has often promised this, but never did it. No wonder. In 2016 and again in 2017, billionaire Trump paid $750 in taxes. He paid in 10 of the last 15 years no taxes whatever. We know this because an IRS contractor copied Trump’s tax returns and then released them to the news media. That was a crime and the contractor is now serving a five-year prison sentence.
In January 2026, Trump sued the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service for $10 billion. He did this as a private citizen, not as president. In his lawsuit, Trump claimed the contractor was an IRS employee who was not properly supervised. But last time I checked, President Trump was in charge of the entire executive branch, including the Treasury Department and the IRS. He appointed the Secretary of the Treasury and the Commissioner of the IRS and can remove them at any time if they displease him. So Trump is essentially suing himself. But wait, the cheese gets even smellier.
A court has no jurisdiction over a fictional controversy because there is no real controversy to resolve. This includes situations where a party attempts to sue itself, for example to recover insurance money. When the Trump v. IRS case was filed, the judge questioned whether this was just a made-up case. But before the Justice Department responded to the judge’s concerns or presented the initial defense, the parties announced that they had “settled” the case and asked the judge to dismiss it. The lawyers of the American people gave in to their boss’s lawsuit without a fight.
Terms of settlement
Neither Trump’s lawyers nor the Justice Department announced this Settlement Agreement to the judge. Had they done so, she would have seen Trump demand a $1.776 billion fund to compensate people he believes were treated unfairly by the federal government, including those who were involved January 6 riots at the US Capitol. These are the same people who attacked police, marched through the Capitol with Confederate flags, and defecated on the floor. Many of them were convicted of federal crimes for this, but were later pardoned by our president. This giveaway would be funded by US taxpayers.
In response to the huge backlash to this proposed criminal compensation fund even from his own partyTrump is backing down – for now. This followed a Verdict in Virginia on May 29, halting all activities to establish or make payments from the fund. But in his testimony before Congress, Todd Blanche, acting head of the Justice Department, said: declined to provide written comment that the Trump administration is finally abandoning the idea.
There is a second aspect of the deal with Trump refuses to give up this is obviously corrupt. Trump demanded a provision in the settlement agreement The US is “forever prohibited and barred” from investigating or prosecuting Trump, his sons and the Trump Organization over previous tax returns. This is complete exaggeration. The immunity from prior tax violations has nothing to do with the disclosure of Trump’s tax returns, which was the basis for the lawsuit. But the Justice Department was willing to give Trump whatever he wanted.
An ongoing IRS investigation could reveal that Trump owes more 100 million dollars in tax liability, penalties and interest. Who will make up for the loss of income if these millions are not paid? Taxpayers will do it. The Wall Street Journal has called This deal is “extraordinary and unprecedented.” The New York Times called immunity from scrutiny is an “amazing public benefit.” Why should Trump get a deal that no other taxpayer can get at enormous cost to the taxpayer to resolve a trumped-up lawsuit? He got this self-serving deal because he controlled almost everyone involved.
Where we go from here
But Trump doesn’t control the federal judge presiding over the case. She received a friend of the court submission from numerous retired judges who suggested that Trump and the Justice Department collaborated in the settlement and committed fraud in court, allowing her to reopen the case. It has scheduled a hearing on these issues for June 12, 2026 and has set its tone command indicates that she is not satisfied.
West Virginia’s congressional delegation can also play a role in rooting out this corruption.
- Trump announced that he wanted to appoint Blanche as “permanent attorney general.” Given Blanche’s blatant public disappointment and conflicts of interest, the West Virginia Senate delegation should reject him.
- Trump’s supporters in Congress are desperately trying to solve the ICE funding problem. West Virginia’s congressional delegation should join bipartisan efforts to oppose any budget reconciliation until Trump withdraws his lawsuit against the IRS without the criminal compensation fund or immunity from IRS tax investigations.
One thing we should have learned by now: corruption can only fester as long as we allow it. The corrupt settlement agreement proposed by the Trump administration is clearly wrong. Everyone can see that.
