# Is there a remedy for Trump's $1.8B slush fund? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [May 20, 2026, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-remedy-for-trumps-1-8b-slush-fund/1030244 "2026-05-20T14:44:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2026, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-remedy-for-trumps-1-8b-slush-fund/1030244/23 "2026-05-20T21:08:48Z")
Suppose Trump files an amended tax return for 2024 that claims a $1.776 B refund. Since the IRS can no longer audit his returns, they will have to give him his refund. ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2026, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-remedy-for-trumps-1-8b-slush-fund/1030244/24 "2026-05-20T21:27:32Z")
But again, is there any reason the next President can’t just overturn the decision to not audit him? ---
**Author:** ![CoolHandCox](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coolhandcox/32/16233_2.png) [@CoolHandCox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CoolHandCox)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2026, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-remedy-for-trumps-1-8b-slush-fund/1030244/25 "2026-05-20T21:27:43Z")
> [@Toxgoddess](#): > > I’ve also read that this is not a settlement in the legal sense. This is an agreement. No legal settlement documents have been filed with the court… A settlement is an agreement. They are made out of Court. Sometimes they stay private; sometimes they need to be filed in Court. I’m not sure I understand exactly what you’re getting at. I do agree there are many problems with this “settlement agreement”. They don’t _have_ to file the settlement agreement with the Court. Just inform the Court that the case was dismissed (which they did). However, by not filing/incorporating the settlement agreement into the dismissal, they might not get the Court’s blessing/cover and ability to enforce it later (I don’t think they care). But that won’t necessarily change the legality of the settlement agreement or not. Just that this particular Judge did not weigh in on it one way or the other. For whether the settlement agreement is valid or not, it still needs to be an actual settlement that was meant for the Judgment Fund to pay. Any Judge can weigh in on that. > [@Toxgoddess](#): > > …This is just the DOJ saying to Trump, “sure, here’s a bunch of money.” That is in no way legal and a court should be able to slap it down vigorously. Agreed. Corruption in plain view. Litigation is the best most practical way to stop it. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2026, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-remedy-for-trumps-1-8b-slush-fund/1030244/26 "2026-05-20T22:18:14Z")
> [@Thing.Fish](#): > > But again, is there any reason the next President can’t just overturn the decision to not audit him? I’m pretty sure they can, and it’s a meaningless bit of language. It’s just a potential excuse for Trump in the future to claim persecution. Or, maybe it gives him a plausible means to make an appeal and delay an audit, even maybe delay it indefinitely? (Or at least for however long Trump is still breathing.) That actually makes some kind of sense as a legal strategy, and tying things up in court forever is part of his MO. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2026, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-remedy-for-trumps-1-8b-slush-fund/1030244/27 "2026-05-20T22:20:46Z")
Will the J6ers who are now in prison for unrelated crimes, up to and including murder and child molestation, be eligible for this money? ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2026, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-remedy-for-trumps-1-8b-slush-fund/1030244/28 "2026-05-20T22:27:08Z")
> [@Thing.Fish](#): > > But again, is there any reason the next President can’t just overturn the decision to not audit him? I don’t know the fine print, but there is a three year statute of limitations. As for the next President deciding who the IRS audits, it would depend on whether said next President is a dictator like this one. If, as I hope, we return to democratic norms and the rule of law, that’s the reason why the next president can’t just tell the IRS what to do. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2026, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-remedy-for-trumps-1-8b-slush-fund/1030244/29 "2026-05-20T22:31:50Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Will the J6ers who are now in prison for unrelated crimes, up to and including murder and child molestation, be eligible for this money? I believe they can apply. Doesn’t mean they’ll get it. There’s supposed to be a five member board to decide who gets what. ---
**Author:** ![CoolHandCox](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coolhandcox/32/16233_2.png) [@CoolHandCox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CoolHandCox)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2026, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-remedy-for-trumps-1-8b-slush-fund/1030244/30 "2026-05-20T22:35:49Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > Suppose Trump files an amended tax return for 2024 that claims a $1.776 B refund. Since the IRS can no longer audit his returns, they will have to give him his refund. Yes. For several reasons. Big picture though, the May 18 settlement agreement with the 1.7B slush fund does not give Trump any audit protection from the IRS. In that agreement, which is the reason for the dismissal and settlement of the IRS lawsuit, it only gives Trump a formal apology. The slush fund money is given directly to other future claimants unrelated to the lawsuit. The next day on May 19…in order to create and carry out the slush fund created on May 18…the acting AG Blanche creates a different “order”. In order to create and carry out the slush fund, Blanch must dismiss any and all prior or potential or whatever IRS problems and tax issues and no one can sue Trump or his kids for any past misconduct. Or, a tax pardon. How that has anything to do with a settlement agreement creating a slush fund for J6ers, which itself that has nothing to do with the underlying lawsuit against the IRS for leaking tax returns…it’s wild. To answer the question, it doesn’t pardon future conduct. So in the future trying to take a $1.7B refund on money that was never yours is not a legal tax move and is not covered under the “order” or the settlement agreement. Late: I mean, this assumes the May 19 “order” has any validity whatsoever. I’m just saying if it did, it doesn’t protect future conduct, only in the past. It was probably done now because of the midterms coming up and because of the unknown legality of a self pardon. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2026, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-remedy-for-trumps-1-8b-slush-fund/1030244/31 "2026-05-20T22:44:51Z")
If everyone who voted for Kamala Harris applied for restitution, it might gum up the works a bit. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2026, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-remedy-for-trumps-1-8b-slush-fund/1030244/32 "2026-05-20T22:47:00Z")
Does it specify anything that would prevent anyone unjustly targeted by ICE or other Trump thugs, within or outside the Trump DoJ, from applying for restitution? Because that could be a lot of people. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2026, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-remedy-for-trumps-1-8b-slush-fund/1030244/33 "2026-05-20T23:00:07Z")
Acting AG Todd Blanche told Congress anyone could apply. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2026, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-remedy-for-trumps-1-8b-slush-fund/1030244/34 "2026-05-20T23:06:18Z")
But only one gets paid. The one who was treated the most unfairly, the likes of which we have magnets wtf if they get wet hamerders. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2026, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-remedy-for-trumps-1-8b-slush-fund/1030244/35 "2026-05-20T23:09:31Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > As for the next President deciding who the IRS audits, it would depend on whether said next President is a dictator like this one. If, as I hope, we return to democratic norms and the rule of law, that’s the reason why the next president can’t just tell the IRS what to do. There’s a difference between a POTUS demanding an audit and declaring that a person isn’t immune to the law. They could just make the immunity null and void via executive order and then let the IRS act on their own initiative. It’s just a return to the norm. ---
**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2026, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-remedy-for-trumps-1-8b-slush-fund/1030244/36 "2026-05-20T23:57:10Z")
until the SCOTUS says it’s all covered under Executive Privlege ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2026, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-remedy-for-trumps-1-8b-slush-fund/1030244/37 "2026-05-21T11:51:39Z")
You mean trump’s fellow travelers? ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2026, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-remedy-for-trumps-1-8b-slush-fund/1030244/38 "2026-05-21T19:49:42Z")
I hope everyone realizes the first - and only - application for relief from the fund will be Trump himself - after all - he’s had the most public ‘lawfare’ against him (that he wasn’t even convicted of). ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2026, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-remedy-for-trumps-1-8b-slush-fund/1030244/39 "2026-05-21T20:08:01Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > I’m pretty sure they can, and it’s a meaningless bit of language. Just replying to myself here… I’ve learned more in the meantime. This agreement that gives him immunity was done without any real process. There was no judicial review, none of the actual legal processes were followed. It’s fake and has no force of law. So, it doesn’t actually matter. What does matter is that he is proceeding as if it’s legal, and he’s going to try to just illegally take this money and hand it out to people, presumably including himself. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2026, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-remedy-for-trumps-1-8b-slush-fund/1030244/40 "2026-05-21T20:58:58Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > If everyone who voted for Kamala Harris applied for restitution, it might gum up the works a bit. Allison Gill, a lefty activist who posts under the name “Mueller, She Wrote,” has filed a claim to a portion of the slush fund----$8.647 million. (!) She has a JD from George Washington U, though I don’t know if she’s admitted to the bar anywhere. But apparently she knows enough to create this filing. And she’s offering it as a template for anyone else who wants to file: > **[Mueller, She Wrote (@muellershewrote.com)](https://bsky.app/profile/muellershewrote.com/post/3mmezqh5foc25)** > > NEW: You've asked for the text of my $8.647 million dollar claim to Todd Blanche pursuant to the $1.7B slush fund so you can write your own. Here it is: https://www.muellershewrote.com/p/new-ive-filed-a-claim-with-todd-blanches ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2026, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-remedy-for-trumps-1-8b-slush-fund/1030244/41 "2026-05-21T21:29:58Z")
Heh, that’s great. If the moron does get the money, I’m guessing that his board will not review a case. I’m sure Donnie has made a list, and has checked it twice as to who will get this ‘g(r)ift’ ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2026, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-remedy-for-trumps-1-8b-slush-fund/1030244/42 "2026-05-21T22:07:38Z")
I don’t recall if I saw this on the Dope, but the Onion is doing their best to keep up. > [@](#): > > “I’m calling upon Congress today to immediately provide me with $1.2 trillion in funding that I currently do not possess but which I will possess once it is given to me,” said Trump, acknowledging that he had previously asked for just $900 billion but was now requesting more so that he would have more. “Even as we speak, I do not have this money, and the only way for me to get it is through swift budgetary action. I’ve gone too long without $1.2 trillion that I’d very much like to have so I can spend it on things I want. It is also possible I’ll want to have more money at a later date, and I will request it then.” At press time, the Senate passed the $1.2 trillion spending measure mostly along party lines, with Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) joining all Republicans in support > **[Trump Requests $1.2 Trillion To Have](https://theonion.com/trump-requests-1-2-trillion-to-have/)** > > WASHINGTON—Declaring the financial allocation a matter of utmost urgency, President Donald Trump on Monday requested $1.2 trillion to have. “I’m calling upon Congress today to immediately provide me with $1.2 trillion in funding that I currently do... I’m just flabbergasted that he can access this type of funding without a congressional outlay. If the Democrats can take a house of Congress, we can expect that this will be a huge topic for investigation; I imagine committee hearings would be televised. Absent subpoenas and possible indictments, we’ll never get a list of payees. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-remedy-for-trumps-1-8b-slush-fund/1030244.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-remedy-for-trumps-1-8b-slush-fund/1030244.md?page=3)