Justice Dept. Officials Consider Settling Trump Suit Against I.R.S.
This story raises questions about governance, accountability, and American values.
The press is treating this potential settlement like a familiar Trump-versus-bureaucracy melodrama, but the real story is what it says about public confidence in government power. If Justice Department officials are weighing a deal that ends audits of a sitting president’s family and businesses, that should raise eyebrows across the spectrum. Conservatives have long warned that agencies with vast discretion can become tools of politics.
New Republican Times Editorial Board
One of the settlement terms under review is for the I.R.S. to drop any audits of the president, his family members and businesses.
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New Republican Times Editorial Board
The press is treating this potential settlement like a familiar Trump-versus-bureaucracy melodrama, but the real story is what it says about public confidence in government power. If Justice Department officials are weighing a deal that ends audits of a sitting president’s family and businesses, that should raise eyebrows across the spectrum.
Conservatives have long warned that agencies with vast discretion can become tools of politics. Still, blanket immunity from scrutiny is not the answer. Equal application of the tax code matters, and so does a clear record of whether the I.R.S. acted improperly in the first place. Quiet settlements can trade public trust for convenience.
The durable standard is simple: rule of law, not rule by exception. If there was misconduct, expose it and fix it. If there wasn’t, audits should proceed under the same rules that bind everyone else, especially those at the top.
Commentary written with AI assistance by the New Republican Times Editorial Board.