Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent testifies during a U.S. Senate Finance Committee hearing on June 3, 2026. The subject of the hearing was the ministry’s budget request for fiscal year 2027. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON — The day after acting Attorney General Todd Blanche declared that the Trump administration’s “anti-gun” fund was dead, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent dodged questions on Capitol Hill Wednesday about whether President Donald Trump, his family and the Trump Organization would be exempt from future tax prosecutions, another part of the president’s IRS deal.
During a budget oversight hearing before the Senate Finance Committee, Bessent repeatedly cited “ongoing litigation” to avoid lawmakers’ investigations settlement The government negotiated details to voluntarily drop Trump’s multibillion-dollar lawsuit against the IRS over the disclosure of his 2019 tax returns.
Committee Chairman Mike Crapo said he wanted to give Bessent a chance “to set the record straight, knowing that there is ongoing litigation.”
“What can you tell us about the Treasury Department and the IRS’s role in the settlement agreement, especially since IRS CEO Frank Bisignano signed the settlement agreement?” Crapo asked from Idaho.
Bessent responded that the Treasury Department was represented in the case by the Justice Department and therefore “any further questions about the settlement or the fund should be directed to the Justice Department and Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.”
Sen. Ron Wyden, the committee’s top Democrat, said in his opening remarks that Bessent “owes the committee an explanation of what the Treasury Department knows about the dirty deal.”
“That’s because his department was involved from start to finish,” the Oregon senator added. “The Treasury was a defendant and negotiator in the lawsuit.”
Moments later, Wyden asked, “Does the IRS audit immunity that was granted to Trump, his family and his businesses still exist? I’d like a yes or no answer to that. I have five minutes, I’ll use it to ask these questions, okay, so we understand what this is about. This immunity deal is the largest fraud against the taxpayer in American history.”
Bessent replied, “As Albert Einstein said, doing the same thing and expecting a different answer is the definition of insanity.”
“You have not provided any answers on this issue and that is why I am going to ask these questions,” Wyden said.
“Because, as I said, there is ongoing litigation,” Bessent replied.
The fund cannot be launched
Trump, his sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, and the Trump Organization sued The IRS and the Treasury Department are seeking $10 billion in damages for leaking his tax returns to news outlets. The contractor responsible for the leak was sentenced Early 2024.
On May 18, the Justice Department announced the creation of a nearly $1.8 billion “anti-gun” fund for “victims of lawfare.”
Even among Republicans, there is great concern that the defendants who attacked police on Jan. 6 will receive redress, Blanche said told lawmakers On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Justice said it “will not move forward with the fund.”
The foundation of the fund had stuck Senate Republicans’ path to passing a bill that would fund immigration enforcement for several years. Trump had wanted the bill on his desk by June 1st.
“Blocked forever”
But lawmakers are still looking for a clear answer to the ministry’s May 19 agreement Addendum declaring: “The United States releases, waives, discharges, and forever discharges each of the plaintiffs from, and is hereby forever barred and barred from, any and all claims, counterclaims, causes of action, appeals, or requests for relief…including tax returns filed prior to the Effective Date.”
Senate Democrats and lawyers are representing several plaintiffs in lawsuits challenging the settlement criticized the agreement on Tuesday.
The Justice Department responded to a request for comment and the White House referred the state newsroom to the DOJ and the Trump Organization.
