The Justice Department is discussing whether to settle President Donald Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service in the coming days, according to two sources familiar.
Among the options being discussed internally is whether a settlement would include a provision on the IRS dropping audits of the president and members of his family, as well as audits of the family’s businesses, the people said.
One of the people familiar said that the possibility is one of many options under consideration, and that no firm decisions have been made. It remains unclear if a monetary settlement is being considered. If it is, it could result in the Trump Justice Department making a payment to the president himself — raising unprecedented ethical questions.
“The IRS wrongly allowed a rogue, politically-motivated employee to leak private and confidential information about President Trump, his family, and the Trump Organization to the New York Times, ProPublica and other left-wing news outlets, which was then illegally released to millions of people,” a spokesman for Trump’s legal team told CNN in a statement. “President Trump continues to hold those who wrong America and Americans accountable.”
