Booker, Cassidy Demand Answers on DOJ Settlement That Hands the President Immunity from Federal Prosecution

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) today sent a bipartisan letter to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche demanding answers about a Department of Justice (DOJ) settlement that appears to grant President Trump, along with his family, his businesses, and a broad class of "related or affiliated individuals" sweeping immunity from civil and criminal liability. The letter seeks answers before Todd Blanche appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee on July 15 for his confirmation hearing to be Attorney General of the United States.

"We write to express our serious concerns regarding the recently announced settlement agreement that appears to confer broad legal and criminal immunity upon the President. Based on publicly available information, the agreement raises significant constitutional, legal, and institutional questions that warrant immediate clarification," wrote the senators.

The settlement stems from the DOJ's announcement last month of a $1.776 billion "Anti-Weaponization Fund" to resolve the President's $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS. One day later, the Department released additional terms, signed solely by Blanche, declaring that the United States is "FOREVER BARRED AND PRECLUDED" from pursuing any claim against the President, his family, his businesses, or related or affiliated individuals" for any conduct - known or unknown - occurring before May 18, 2026.

The senators warn that the President appears to have negotiated directly with an agency under his own control. The resulting self-dealing settlement signed by Blanche appears to shield the President, his family, and businesses from audits, investigations, and civil and criminal liability, including for serious crimes not yet known.

"Our constitutional system assumes that legal disputes are resolved through an adversarial process in which each side is represented by actors with independent interests and incentives. That safeguard is absent when the President negotiates with his own Administration over his own potential liability," added the senators.

"This language… appears to extinguish every claim the United States could ever bring against the President, his family, and his businesses… It could even be read to foreclose criminal charges for any conduct, known or unknown, occurring before that date," the senators continued.

"The Constitution establishes a system in which no person, including the President, is above the law. This overbroad immunity directive creates the perception that the President enjoys legal protections unavailable to ordinary citizens and risks eroding public confidence in the impartial administration of justice," concluded the senators.

The senators have asked the Department to provide full written responses and all related documents by July 14, 2026. Their questions demand clarification on Blanche's role in the settlement, the precise scope of immunity granted, the legal authority the DOJ relied on to issue it, the rationale for extending immunity to individuals who were not parties to the lawsuit, and the identities of every official involved in negotiating or approving it.

Read the full text of the letter here.