Judge voids Donald Trump's 'improper' $1.8b IRS settlement that gave him immunity from tax audits

Key Points:

• A US judge has voided a legal agreement between President Donald Trump and federal agencies that granted him immunity from tax audits and allowed the creation of a now-abandoned $1.8bn "anti-weaponisation" fund intended to compensate individuals claiming unfair government targeting.
• The fund was unveiled in May as part of a deal for Trump to drop his $10bn lawsuit against the IRS, but the judge ruled the lawsuit was not a genuine legal dispute and described the settlement as an attempt to confer immunity to Trump affiliates and allocate taxpayer money for undefined grievances.
• The ruling prevents Trump and others involved from citing the settlement in future legal cases, potentially allowing the IRS to proceed with audits of Trump's tax filings.
• The judge criticized the involvement of Trump-appointed DOJ officials in negotiating the settlement, suggesting a lack of adversarial process, and referred two of Trump's attorneys to disciplinary actions.
• Trump's legal team condemned the IRS leak of his private tax information, while experts called the voided agreement a "sweetheart deal" that undermined protections against political interference in the tax system, emphasizing the need for congressional action to prevent similar future arrangements.