The New Republic | Trump’s IRS Deal Is a Massive Test for Congress and the Courts by Timothy Noah
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Timothy Noah argues that President Donald Trump’s recent IRS “settlement” – a $1.8 billion payment that would both reward allies and shield the Trump family from tax penalties – is fundamentally illegal because it breaches the Constitution’s domestic emoluments clause, which forbids a president from receiving any additional compensation from the United States while in office. He notes that prior emoluments lawsuits against Trump’s businesses have been dismissed or rendered moot, yet the settlement still proceeds despite lacking legal merit and exceeding the statute of limitations. Democrats have filed an amicus brief urging the court to reject the deal as a clear constitutional violation, while two Capitol‑Police officers who defended the January 6 riot are suing to block the “slush fund” that they say would finance future insurrectionists. In response, lawmakers like Rep. Jamie Raskin are drafting legislation to ban any use of federal funds for settlements that benefit a president, his family, or associated entities, and to prevent similar arrangements in the future. Noah concludes that without swift congressional and judicial action to invalidate Trump’s settlement, the United States risks abandoning the rule of law and becoming a “banana republic.”
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https://newrepublic.com/article/210770/trump-massive-test-congress-courts
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