Judge Sanctions Trump's Lawyers Over IRS Settlement and Fund

A federal judge has sanctioned the attorneys representing President Trump regarding a settlement with the IRS. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams stated that the lawsuit was improperly used to justify a settlement that provided Trump with audit immunity and established a fund for grievances not defined in law. The judge referred one lawyer to the Florida Bar and sent her order to the New York and D.C. bars where other involved attorneys are members. The settlement, which created a fund of $1.776 billion, has raised bipartisan concerns and legal scrutiny. Trump's legal team argued that the judge lacked jurisdiction after the lawsuit was dropped, but Williams ruled that the court retains authority over collateral issues such as sanctions. As part of the sanctions, attorney Daniel Epstein was blocked from practicing in the Southern District of Florida for one year, and Trump and the government were barred from referring to the agreement as a settlement. The fund was abandoned in June amid bipartisan pressure, but the audit-immunity provision remains in effect.