Thirty-five former federal judges have urged a US court to reopen US President Donald Trump’s recently dismissed $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service, arguing that the court should investigate possible “fraud”.
The lawsuit filed by Trump, his two eldest sons and the Trump Organization accused the IRS and the Treasury Department of leaking tax information through a former IRS employee in 2019 and 2020. The case was suddenly dropped on May 18.
Miami federal Judge Kathleen Williams dismissed the case with prejudice after a request for a recall.
However, the retired judges argued in a petition filed in the court on Wednesday that crucial information about the settlement agreement was hidden from the court.
“The court was deceived,” the former judges wrote.
The Justice Department later announced a settlement involving a $1.776 billion “anti-weapons fund,” according to the filing.
An addendum allegedly protected the plaintiff and certain associates from IRS enforcement involving past tax returns.
The retired judges argued that the settlement “raises deep questions about the parties’ candor towards the court and the manipulation of the judicial system, which threatens to undermine confidence in the administration of justice”.
He asked the court to reopen the case and investigate “whether fraud has taken place”.
