Danielle, I’ve spent my career fighting against corruption. But what we’re seeing right now is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. Let me just catch you up on what just happened. Donald Trump decided to sue the IRS — his own government that he runs — for $10 billion over the leaking of his tax returns during his first administration. But just after a federal judge had ordered both sides to explain why the case didn’t create a massive conflict of interest — because Trump controls both the agency he sued and the lawyers defending it — this took a different turn. His personal lawyers and his DOJ lawyers (remember they’re supposed to be on two different sides in this case) reached a sham settlement where the government agreed to create a $1.8 billion fund to compensate his political allies who believe they’ve been “wrongfully convicted,” potentially including the people who attacked the Capitol on January 6th. All paid for by American taxpayers. This level of corruption is staggering. And it's why I introduced the Ban Presidential Plunder of Taxpayer Funds Act — legislation to make it illegal for a sitting president or vice president to receive settlement payments from the federal government they control — or to direct those payments to a third party. Add your name if you want to help put an end to this corruption, stop politicians from rigging the system, and make sure taxpayer dollars are never treated like a personal slush fund again.
Look, Trump used the threat of a lawsuit against his own government to pressure nearly $2 billion out of the U.S. Treasury. No jury decided this. No judge approved it. Congress never voted on it. It’s like Trump said: Nice lawsuit I’ve got here. Shame if someone had to keep defending against it… unless there was a payout for my allies. And what makes this especially outrageous is how the fund was structured. Once the money is transferred, the government’s own order says it has “no liability whatsoever” for what happens next. No accountability. No oversight. No clawback. Just $1.8 billion flowing into a fund controlled by Trump’s DOJ, to be distributed however they choose to Trump’s allies. My legislation would ban presidents and vice presidents from collecting settlement payments from the government they control, require transparency and independent oversight, and impose real penalties for abuse. This legislation draws a hard ethical line: Presidents cannot try to financially benefit from the very government they are controlling. Add your name if you believe no president should be able to turn a sham lawsuit into a billion-dollar cash grab for political allies. Thanks for being part of this, Elizabeth  |
