1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

I’m writing about the $10 billion lawsuit President Trump filed against the IRS, and the settlement talks his lawyers disclosed in a court filing on April 17. I’m asking you to use your Judiciary Committee seat to press DOJ on how it’s handling this case. The basic problem is a conflict of interest that’s hard to overstate. Trump sued the IRS over the 2019–2020 leak of his tax returns by a contractor already serving a five-year prison sentence. Now he’s president. DOJ formally represents the United States, and career attorneys have real independence — but the attorney general and deputy attorney general serve at the pleasure of the person suing the government. Trump told reporters in January, “I’m supposed to work out a settlement with myself.” That’s the president describing the situation accurately. Senators Wyden and Warren have been pressing Treasury and the IRS since February. That work matters, but it doesn’t reach the lawyers actually negotiating the settlement. DOJ does. And Judiciary has direct oversight of DOJ. You’ve spent years examining how executive power gets turned toward personal benefit. This case is a real-time version of it, unfolding in a Miami courtroom with a 90-day pause the parties just requested. Here’s the ask: push Judiciary Democrats to send a formal oversight letter to DOJ, and request a hearing if the answers are inadequate. The letter should demand four things — who authorized the settlement discussions, whether anyone has recused, what ethics guidance was issued, and whether career attorneys raised objections. None of this blocks a settlement on its own. But it forces decisions into the open, creates a record the judge can see, and gives career DOJ lawyers cover to push back internally. Right now, the people closest to this case need to know the Senate is watching. Thank you for your time.