Washington, D.C. - United States Representative Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) joined Rep. John B. Larson (CT-01) in announcing the introduction of the Don't Settle for Corruption Act. That bill would require Congressional approval before the Department of Justice (DOJ) can spend taxpayer dollars on any legal settlement resolving a case involving the President, the President's immediate family, or any business entity they own or control.

In addition to the President's $1.776 billion "Anti-Weaponization Fund," which was set up to compensate victims of alleged lawfare, including his allies and January 6th insurrectionists, the settlement agreement in Trump v. IRS included an addendum that would bar the government from investigating tax returns filed by the Trump family and their companies. The Don't Settle for Corruption Act would block DOJ's controversial "get out of jail free card" from moving forward without explicit authorization from Congress.

"The Department of Justice's senseless settlement with President Trump aimed to use taxpayer dollars to pay off people who beat police officers, stormed our Capitol, and attacked our democracy on January 6, while continuing to shield the President, his sons, and his company from tax audits," said Rep. Panetta. "I'm proud to support this legislation to ensure that any settlement involving a President receives careful Congressional scrutiny and approval before taxpayer dollars are spent or special immunity protections are granted. Congress must uphold its oversight responsibilities and put in place safeguards that prevent this type of corruption from occurring under any administration."

"Donald Trump has been trying to use our federal government as his personal ATM-and is now strong-arming officials to give him a deal that would protect himself and his family from ever having to pay the taxes they owe," said Rep. Larson. "Whether it's billion-dollar corporations screwing over their customers or billionaire presidents trying to make a quick buck off the American people, we cannot stand by. My Don't Settle for Corruption Act would stop this dirty scheme to line the pockets of the President and his MAGA allies for good and require my colleagues to go on the record if they truly support this unprecedented theft of taxpayer dollars."

In January, President Trump filed this unprecedented lawsuit against the IRS, demanding $10 billion in damages for alleged mishandling of tax data. Never in the history of the United States has a sitting President sought a monetary settlement from the government he leads, let alone one totaling many billions of dollars in taxpayer funds.

After initially announcing a $1.8 billion settlement, including payoffs to the President's family members, January 6th insurrectionists, and other allies, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche testified before Congress that the settlement fund was no longer moving forward, a claim later disputed by President Trump. While the fund has been temporarily blocked in federal court, DOJ continues to pursue the "get out of jail free" addendum to the settlement that would effectively shield Donald Trump from ever having to pay the taxes he owes.

Specifically, the Don't Settle for Corruption Act would

• Safeguard transparency, by requiring the Department of Justice to notify Congress of any settlement, whether it's financial or otherwise, that stands to benefit a sitting or former President, their family, or any business they control.
• Ensure accountability, giving Congress 60 days to explicitly approve these settlements. Otherwise, they would be blocked from moving forward in any form.

In addition to Rep. Panetta, the bill is also cosponsored by Reps. Mike Thompson (CA-04), Ro Khanna (CA-17), André Carson (IN-07), Judy Chu (CA-28), Gil Cisneros (CA-31), Danny Davis (IL-07), Jimmy Gomez (CA-34), Jonathan Jackson (IL-01), Sara Jacobs (CA-51), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37), Sam Liccardo (CA-16), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-AL), Mark Pocan (WI-02), and Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12).

The Don't Settle for Corruption Act is endorsed by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), Public Citizen, Project on Government Oversight (POGO), and Transparency International.

Full text of the bill is available here.

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