Trump’s ‘slush fund’ deal came with some newly disclosed fine print about his tax returns

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In broad strokes, the deal between Donald Trump and his own administration appears corrupt but straightforward: The president withdrew his deeply foolish $10 billion civil suit against the Internal Revenue Service, and in exchange, he and his team will put $1.776 billion of taxpayer money into a “fund” that is expected to benefit the Republican’s allies.

These basic contours of the agreement, widely panned as a “slush fund” by Democrats and legal experts, were evident not only in public reporting from independent news organizations but also in a nine-page agreement that Trump’s Justice Department released on Monday, offering details about the structure of the scandalous deal.

One day later, Trump’s team quietly decided to add something important. Politico reported:

[A] one-page document posted on the DOJ website early Tuesday includes a sweeping release under which the IRS is “forever barred and precluded” from pursuing “examinations” of Trump, “related or affiliated individuals,” and related trusts and businesses.

The waiver specifically encompasses “tax returns filed before the effective date” of the settlement, which was Monday.

The brief, three-paragraph addendum was signed by acting Attorney General Todd Blanche (who, incidentally, did not sign Monday’s nine-page agreement), and posted online on Tuesday afternoon, after Blanche’s appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee wrapped up. wrapped up.