1. United States
2. Ohio
3. Letter

Trump’s slush fund is corrupt. Let me count the ways: Trump sued his own executive branch agency for leaking his tax returns he should have released himself. If you buy the unitary executive theory, he is suing himself. Court jurisdiction requires genuine case or controversy with adversity between parties. When a judge pointed out this flaw, Trump dismissed his case, evading judicial review. The DOJ failed to assert routine defenses, including statute of limitations, sovereign immunity, and demand to trace leak of tax returns to any actual harm, let alone $10B worth. The DOJ “settled” the case with Trump, its self-proclaimed chief law enforcement officer, hardly an arms-length transaction. Funds will go to third parties with claims unrelated to Trump’s suit. There is no “weaponization” statute. The fund will be administered by a panel appointed by Blanche, Trump’s former personal lawyer. Blanche tossed in a release for Trump from IRS audits, also unrelated to his leak claim. This “deal” rewards Trump’s henchmen and advances the false narrative that they were victims instead of perpetrators of serious crimes.