Judge Says Trump Tried to Manipulate Legal System With IRS Lawsuit

President Trump and his family acted in bad faith in bringing a $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service, a federal judge ruled Monday in a scathing rebuke of the president, his attorneys and the Justice Department.

The lawsuit led to Trump’s extraordinary agreement in May with his own administration, in which the U.S. moved to create a nearly $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund,” and the government promised to cease all pending tax audits of Trump, his family and his businesses. The administration backed off the fund amid pushback from lawmakers, including Republicans concerned that it could be used to compensate Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The no-audit promise, however, has remained intact.