{"id":1928,"date":"2026-05-19T19:40:19","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T19:40:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/2026\/05\/19\/us-justice-department-forever-bars-irs-from-auditing-trumps-past-tax-returns\/"},"modified":"2026-05-19T19:40:19","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T19:40:19","slug":"us-justice-department-forever-bars-irs-from-auditing-trumps-past-tax-returns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=1928","title":{"rendered":"US justice department \u2018forever\u2019 bars IRS from auditing Trump\u2019s past tax returns"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"border-color:var(--article-border);background-color:var(--article-inner-background)\" class=\"dcr-wqti5a\">\n<div class=\"dcr-2zxs1v\">\n<div style=\"--grid-area:media\" data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tr9ye5\">\n<figure id=\"203d0b91-4596-407a-9753-e34c676a1e94\" class=\"dcr-142siv7\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt='Raised metal letters reading \"DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE\" on a stone wall, with blurred foliage in the foreground' src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/dc7a6d3f2e7a1abc018719839979abec40073388\/0_0_5510_3674\/master\/5510.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"310.0562613430127\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><span class=\"dcr-v822l1\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-gup2gr\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fntg6k\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-1xgwz8b\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1os51wo\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Signage outside the US Department of Justice headquarters in Washington DC.<\/span> Photograph: Bloomberg\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"203d0b91-4596-407a-9753-e34c676a1e94\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-n4pnam\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1hdkqum\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Signage outside the US Department of Justice headquarters in Washington DC.<\/span> Photograph: Bloomberg\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:border\" data-gu-name=\"border\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:headline\" data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1aqe7zu\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-1k1a1x\">US justice department \u2018forever\u2019 bars IRS from auditing Trump\u2019s past tax returns<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:standfirst\" data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-15in7js\">\n<p>Addendum quietly slipped into widely criticized agreement creating a $1.7bn fund to compensate president\u2019s allies<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:body\" data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-kn9unn\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1a4fred\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-ydnaza\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-1c9t5u6\">\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The justice department quietly added a provision barring the IRS from auditing Donald Trump\u2019s tax returns on Tuesday, amending a widely criticized agreement that creates a secretive and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/18\/trump-dismiss-10-billion-dollar-irs-lawsuit\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">loosely controlled $1.776bn<\/a> fund to compensate allies of the president.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/media\/1441216\/dl\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">The addendum<\/a>, signed by Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general, says the government is \u201cforever barred\u201d and \u201cprecluded\u201d from examining the tax returns of Trump, his family, company and \u201crelated companies\u201d. The agreement applies to anything filed before the agreement was reached. It was posted on the justice department website on Tuesday morning, a day after the department announced creation of the fund.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The inclusion only adds to mounting scrutiny of the wider agreement reached on Tuesday. The arrangement was announced after Trump said he was dropping a $10bn lawsuit against the IRS and other specious claims against the government in exchange for creating the compensation fund. IRS officials recommended fighting Trump\u2019s lawsuit, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/05\/19\/admin\/irs-trump-lawsuit-deal.html?unlocked_article_code=1.jlA.mlGB.aJsBJ1ksQds1&amp;amp;smid=url-share\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">the New York Times reported on Tuesday<\/a>, but the agency decided to settle it anyway, raising further questions about improper interference.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"965a4961-c9e0-4f91-8c35-e44cb1bd638a\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-47fhrn\">\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" data-link-name=\"rich-link-3 | 3\" data-component=\"rich-link\" data-name=\"placeholder\" class=\"dcr-1kyw41h\">\n<div data-format-theme=\"5\" data-format-design=\"0\" data-format-display=\"0\" class=\"dcr-1bg5532\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/19\/trades-eli-lilly-shares-trump-drugmaker\" class=\"dcr-1m887w9\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-ut4tvs\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1h5b6rb\">\n<div class=\"dcr-169d7yv\">Eli Lilly shares bought on Trump\u2019s behalf as his policies benefited drug firm<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-eurq8n\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fkf7vq\">Read more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The fund will be run by five people \u2013 all subject to be fired at will by the president \u2013 and does not have to make public who it awarded money to or its reason for doing so.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The Tuesday amendment was released shortly after Blanche testified in a Senate hearing in which Democrats harshly criticized the agreement. \u201cThis is an outrageous, unprecedented slush fund that you set up,\u201d said Chris van Hollen, a Maryland senator.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Pressed by Democrats on whether those convicted of assaulting police officers on January 6 would be able to obtain money from the fund, Blanche said there were no limitations on who could seek a claim from the fund. He also said neither Trump personally nor his sons would receive compensation, though it is unclear from the agreement whether they could file a claim.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The text of the agreement released on Monday night says the fund will produce quarterly confidential reports to the attorney general on amounts paid out by the fund and to whom, despite that confidentiality provision, Blanche said on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cThere\u2019s accountability that the commission has, a quarterly report that has to come to the attorney general, which will certainly be public,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s a process that you all will get information, and there\u2019s a Foia [Freedom of Information Act] process. So I very much anticipate that the claims that are awarded, the basis and the amount will for sure be made public along the way.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-qxqnsy\"><span class=\"dcr-1rq3vad\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-1dzx48f\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-1rrvs2w\">\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/donaldtrump\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Donald Trump<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-taxation\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">US taxation<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/tone\/news\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">news<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-nu129i\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=US%20justice%20department%20%E2%80%98forever%E2%80%99%20bars%20IRS%20from%20auditing%20Trump%E2%80%99s%20past%20tax%20returns&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/19\/trump-irs-settlement-tax-returns?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-125qj9d\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-zhx6xs\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fus-news%2F2026%2Fmay%2F19%2Ftrump-irs-settlement-tax-returns&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=us-news\/2026\/may\/19\/trump-irs-settlement-tax-returns\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-14rjinq\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:right-column\" data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-1h2hraq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tn16h9\">\n<section class=\"dcr-1hko8ef\"><\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Signage outside the US Department of Justice headquarters in Washington DC. Photograph: Bloomberg\/Getty Images View image in fullscreen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":1930,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1928","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1928","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1928"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1928\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1930"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1928"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1928"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1928"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}