The hosts on The View have criticized the $1.7 billion fund that U.S. President Donald Trump might receive as a settlement for his lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). In the lawsuit, Trump sought $10 billion in damages after a former IRS contractor leaked his tax filings.
Alyssa Farah Griffin calls out Donald Trump’s $1.8B fund
Earlier this week on The View, its hosts slammed Donald Trump’s IRS lawsuit and the $1.8 billion he may receive as compensation. They believe that it is an attempt to exploit billions of dollars from the United States government and taxpayers. Co-host Whoopi Goldberg raised the topic by talking about his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS.
For context, in 2020, a former IRS contractor, Charles “Chaz” Littlejohn, leaked Trump’s personal tax filings. It revealed that the president had reportedly paid only $750 in taxes. Chaz pleaded guilty and is serving a five-year prison sentence. But the Republican leader sued the IRS and the US Treasury for the leak. He sought $10 billion in damages (via BBC).
However, Trump dropped the lawsuit earlier this week. Reportedly, in exchange for his dropping the suit, the Department of Justice offered to pay $1.8 billion. This fund will reportedly be used to compensate people who claimed the previous administration unfairly targeted them.
Back on the show, each host took the opportunity to criticize the move. They called out Trump and emphasized that Section 4 of the 14th Amendment bans any government department from using public funds for compensatory purposes.
Sara Haines wondered if the current administration would compensate for victims who were affected previously, such as the Epstein survivors and “black Americans.” Sunny Hostin read a report claiming that the DOJ proposed another settlement option in which the IRS would drop any audits of Trump, his family, and his business if he agreed to drop the lawsuit.
Ana Navarro jumped in, pointing out the billions of dollars that the president is spending on the Iran War, the ballroom construction at the White House, and other purposes. She noted that his spending comes at a time when Americans struggle to pay for basic amenities.
Subsequently, Alyssa Farah Griffin expressed her concern, talking about a woman who is one of the Epstein survivors. She wondered if the woman would receive compensation. “This is so extraordinary that he ran on draining the swamp. This is the swampiest thing I could imagine. It is a slush fund for your allies,” Griffin said.
Finally, Goldberg speculated that Trump’s current actions are an attempt to cover up his past actions. So, when he is no longer the president after his current run, he wouldn’t want any audits.
Originally reported by Harsha Panduranga on Mandatory.
