Whitehouse and Durbin Demand DOJ Preserve Documents on Trump Family Tax Amnesty Settlement and Jan. 6 Cop-Beater Slush Fund

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Dick Durbin (D-IL), the Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, sent a letter to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche this week demanding that the MAGA Department of Justice preserve records related to a corrupt purported settlement agreement in Trump v. Internal Revenue Service, DOJ's creation of a $1.8 billion taxpayer-funded slush fund to reward the President's political allies, and the related tax amnesty agreement for the Trump family and their business associates.

"This sweetheart deal from the Trump IRS and the Trump DOJ attempts to give President Trump and the Trump family business a magical free pass on tax violations and set up a slush fund for cop-beaters and MAGA criminals. It's the very definition of corruption and merits further investigation. Acting Attorney General Blanche - himself a former Trump defense attorney - must preserve all records related to this outrageous abuse of power and misuse of taxpayer money," said Whitehouse.

"A MAGA 'weaponization' slush fund is so outrageous that Senate Republicans were forced to send lawmakers home to stay in President Trump's good graces. Americans are struggling to afford gas, groceries, housing… you name it. And President Trump is more interested in cashing in on the presidency than focusing on the things that matter. This blatantly corrupt deal deserves further scrutiny, and the Acting Attorney General must order the preservation of all documents related to it," said Durbin.

Earlier this month, the MAGA Department of Justice announced that President Trump had agreed to drop a $10 billion lawsuit he initiated against his own Internal Revenue Service after he was inaugurated for his second term over the leak of the President's tax information by an IRS employee in exchange for the creation of an unprecedented $1.776 billion "Anti-Weaponization Fund." The commission overseeing the fund would have the authority to dole out the nearly $1.8 billion in taxpayer funds to settle claims brought by anyone who claimed they were harmed by "weaponization" of the justice system, including participants convicted of beating police and other crimes related to the January 6 insurrection.

"The Fund would allow those who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, to apply, including those who assaulted law enforcement officers during the attack on the Capitol. This would mean nearly 175 January 6 rioters who used a dangerous or deadly weapon to assault law enforcement officers can seek compensation from the Fund, including a rioter who drove a stun gun into a law enforcement officer's neck. The Fund also lacks basic transparency and accountability measures, granting President Trump the authority to remove any administrator of the Fund without cause and allowing only the Attorney General to receive information about the identity of recipients per the terms of the 'Settlement Agreement,'" wrote Whitehouse and Durbin in the letter.

One day after the settlement agreement was announced, the Department of Justice announced an addendum that would purportedly prohibit the IRS from pursuing audits against Trump, his family, and their business associates for any previous tax offenses as part of a bizarre side deal to the Department's compensation fund agreement.

"This addendum purports to grant President Trump and a wide swath of associates and related companies immunity from any ongoing tax audits, including one in which a potential adverse ruling could have cost President Trump more than $100 million," added the senators in their letter.

Full text of the letter is below and a PDF is available here.

May 26, 2026

The Honorable Todd Blanche

Acting Attorney General

U.S. Department of Justice

950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20530

Dear Acting Attorney General Blanche:

We write to request that the Department of Justice preserve all records related to the proposed $1.776 billion "Anti-Weaponization Fund" (the "Fund") and the purported "Settlement Agreement" in Trump v. Internal Revenue Service, No. 1:26-cv-20609 (S.D. Fla.).

On May 18, 2026, DOJ announced the creation of the Fund "to provide a systematic process to hear and redress claims of others who suffered weaponization and lawfare." You testified to Congress on May 19, 2026, that the Fund would allow those who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, to apply, including those who assaulted law enforcement officers during the attack on the Capitol. This would mean nearly 175 January 6 rioters who used a dangerous or deadly weapon to assault law enforcement officers can seek compensation from the Fund, including a rioter who drove a stun gun into a law enforcement officer's neck. The Fund also lacks basic transparency and accountability measures, granting President Trump the authority to remove any administrator of the Fund without cause and allowing only the Attorney General to receive information about the identity of recipients per the terms of the "Settlement Agreement."

Additionally, on May 19, 2026, DOJ released an addendum to the "Settlement Agreement" stating that the U.S. government would be "forever barred" from pursuing "examinations" of President Trump, his family, "related or affiliated individuals," and related trusts and businesses, for any matter involving previously filed tax returns or "Lawfare and/or Weaponization." This addendum purports to grant President Trump and a wide swath of associates and related companies immunity from any ongoing tax audits, including one in which a potential adverse ruling could have cost President Trump more than $100 million.

Please preserve any existing and future records, documents, and materials related to the Fund and "Settlement Agreement," including any materials related to DOJ's development of and decision to create the Fund and enter into the "Settlement Agreement." As you know, federal law, including the Federal Records Act, imposes an obligation to preserve federal records on all DOJ employees and makes violations subject to criminal prosecution. This requirement includes preservation of electronic messages sent using both official and personal accounts or devices and records created using text messages, phone-based message applications, or encryption software.

We look forward to your prompt response and acknowledgment of your compliance with this request.