DOJ smashes the piggy bank for Trump and his cronies
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/4/28/800029376/courts/doj-smashes-the-piggy-bank-for-trump-and-his-cronies/
DOJ smashes the piggy bank for Trump and his cronies
It seems like nearly every week we learn of some new seven-figure payout to a Trump ally for the trauma they endured of being held accountable, in the most mild fashion, for the consequences of their actions. It’s tough to keep track of all your tax dollars going out the door.
Given that frequency, you might have missed that last week, the Department of Justice “settled” a lawsuit with hapless Russia-lover and 2016 Trump campaign adviser Carter Page, a curious thing to do in a case where Page lost at both the lower and appellate courts.
Normally, when a two-time loser asks the Supreme Court to review their loser case against the government, the government does not typically respond by reversing course entirely and making sure to tell the Supreme Court that hey, nothing to see here, we’re totally in agreement now, thanks.
The loser also does not get the reported $1.25 million that Page is set to receive.
To be fair, the DOJ’s Office of the Inspector General did find, during the first Trump administration, that there had been issues with the application to wiretap Page, with the FBI cherry-picking things that would hurt Page while omitting anything exculpatory.
Whoa, that does sound bad! What a terrible thing to have happened under the Obama DOJ, and thank god it would never happen now.
Wait, we’re getting word that Lindsey Halligan, in an overt attack on one of Trump’s political enemies that was specifically demanded by Trump himself, failed to present the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey to the full grand jury and failed to put the niece of New York Attorney General Letitia James before the grand jury once it became apparent she had information that undercut the DOJ’s case against James.
Unlike Comey and James, Page was never even charged with a crime, so it isn’t clear, exactly, what harm he suffered. But Trump cronies don’t need to prove they were harmed because these days, all you need to unlock the DOJ’s safe stuffed with tax dollars is to share Trump’s twin delusions that Russia played no role in his 2016 win and that he actually won the 2020 election.
So it looks like Page will get almost the same amount as former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn got for the horrifying experience he endured from pleading guilty to lying to the FBI about a thing he does not dispute doing—talking to his Russian contacts. According to the DOJ, giving Flynn $1.2 million somehow helps right the “historic injustice” of the government daring to investigate whether a foreign government interfered in the 2016 election.
Flynn doesn’t need to shed any tears about how Page got a slightly bigger payout, because Flynn is now on track for another “settlement.” This one is in Flynn’s civil suit claiming the Army illegally garnished his retirement pay. Flynn and the DOJ, friends forever, filed a joint status report saying that they have agreed to a settlement in principle but need at least 30 days longer to “finalize and implement the agreed-upon settlement.”
It’s not at all clear how either side needs any additional time at all, given that the sham settlement is just going to be the DOJ cutting another check to Flynn.
Hilariously, the only one of these shams that seems to be hitting a snag is Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS where he wants $10 billion of taxpayer money. The judge in that case asked the parties to explain how the court could even hear the case, since a case by its very nature requires adversity, with one party opposed to the other. That’s not some court rule that can be waived. Rather, Article III of the Constitution limits the federal courts to hearing cases where there is a genuine dispute between genuine adversaries.
Here, though, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams noted that Trump is suing “named adversaries [which] are entities whose decisions are subject to his direction.” Additionally, Williams pointed out, Trump issued an executive order last February saying that no employee of the executive branch can advance any interpretation of the law that conflicts with Trump’s own, so it’s pretty tough to pretend there’s a real dispute here.
Too bad Trump couldn’t shake down the IRS the same way he’s shaking down the DOJ with his demand for $230 million under the Federal Tort Claims Act. FTCA settlements are private, a little secret between Trump and his former personal criminal defense lawyer and current Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. But to get at the much bigger IRS piggy bank, Trump needed a bogus court case.
Can’t wait to see how the Supreme Court decides that for presidents named Donald Trump the constitutional requirements don’t apply, and that it’s totes cool and real for the IRS to “settle” with Trump by giving him billions.
Daily Kos is free for everyone—no paywall, no barriers. Help keep it that way
Daily Kos is committed to keeping all our content free. That's why we don't have a paywall, and never will. However, Daily Kos' revenue is down, and we may not be able to continue producing the quality of work you have come to expect from us. Donations from our readers are our largest source of income. If you value independent, accessible, paywall-free journalism, please consider making a donation today.
No comments:
Post a Comment