Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

live love laugh

(16,500 posts)
Tue May 19, 2026, 10:02 PM Tuesday

Secret part of the agreement Todd Blanche reached is devastating

Lawyer Liz Oyer former Justice Department Attorney says it's catastrophic and corrupt. Blanche as acting AG signed a one-page document called a Release of Claims. It signs away all claims against Donald Trump on behalf of the US. In other words, it says that Trump cannot be investigated, audited, or sued by the US government in the future. That includes any government agency, the Justice Department, the IRS, etc.

This will end the ongoing audits of Trump and his companies. But that's not all. It forfeits our right to collect any taxes owed by Trump and his businesses and waives the right to try to reclaim the money he stole from taxpayers. And it binds the US forever, meaning it applies even after Trump and Blanche leave office.

And even worse than that it's not limited to just Donald Trump. It also assigns away all of our claims against his companies, his family members, and his associates.

Oyer says this a staggering betrayal of the public trust. Even compared to other bad acts by this administration, this one stands out as especially unforgivably corrupt. Trump and Blanche are colluding together to give away our money, our rights and our democracy.

She’s sure there will be lawsuits that will argue that this agreement is illegal and unenforceable. Hopefully they will succeed but not sure who will bring them or when. She’ll be keeping a close eye on it and keep us informed.

Spread the word.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYiQwfvPBUm/?igsh=eXZoeWV4amtoZ2to


13 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Secret part of the agreement Todd Blanche reached is devastating (Original Post) live love laugh Tuesday OP
Absolute bullshit. SCOTUS will rule that it is johnnyfins Tuesday #1
I hope they do FHRRK1 Tuesday #5
I don't know. If they do, they're also rubber stamping a potential windfall for all the people Trump is now Vinca Wednesday #12
Why can't a future admin's DOJ nullify this agreement? newdeal2 Tuesday #2
Our foreign enemies no longer have to chant, "Death to America", we have Republicans for that! RedWhiteBlueIsRacist Tuesday #3
It's effectively a get out of jail free card. Wiz Imp Tuesday #4
This carries about as much weight Boo1 Tuesday #6
Memos are used in determining government legal decisions live love laugh Wednesday #10
And they can be discarded Boo1 Wednesday #11
Trump's diapers have more substance C_U_L8R Tuesday #7
Blatantly illegal. Happy Hoosier Tuesday #8
Bullshit VeryProgressive Wednesday #9
Trump's Fund Shows Blanche Choosing Loyalty Over Pushing Back (New York Times Gift Article) LetMyPeopleVote Thursday #13

Vinca

(54,352 posts)
12. I don't know. If they do, they're also rubber stamping a potential windfall for all the people Trump is now
Wed May 20, 2026, 07:43 AM
Wednesday

targeting when the next Democrat is elected. Assuming, of course, we actually have elections anymore.

newdeal2

(5,632 posts)
2. Why can't a future admin's DOJ nullify this agreement?
Tue May 19, 2026, 10:12 PM
Tuesday

I don't see how a piece of paper from the DOJ gives him and his family a free pass for life. I'm sure this SCOTUS will prove me wrong, but until then I call BS.

Wiz Imp

(10,473 posts)
4. It's effectively a get out of jail free card.
Tue May 19, 2026, 10:14 PM
Tuesday

Not only that, but by my reading, it effectively absolves all Trump's from ever having to pay taxes. It's hard to imagine anyone ever even fathoming such insane levels of blatant corruption.

live love laugh

(16,500 posts)
10. Memos are used in determining government legal decisions
Wed May 20, 2026, 01:02 AM
Wednesday

Trump-revised DOJ language (from Google/AI accomplices):

“… memoranda on executive branch powers, primarily authored by the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC), serve as binding internal legal opinions that interpret the U.S. Constitution and guide federal actions. Historically, these memos have vigorously asserted robust presidential power and the doctrine of the unitary executive.

Key DOJ memos and doctrines define executive powers as follows:The Unitary Executive Theory: OLC memos historically argue that Article II of the Constitution vests all executive power directly in the President. This theoretical framework asserts that the President must have absolute, unhindered authority to direct and remove executive branch officials, effectively nullifying congressional attempts to create fully "independent" agencies.

Protection of Presidential Prerogatives: DOJ opinions maintain that executive branch lawyers have a constitutional duty to protect the President's powers from inadvertent or intentional legislative (congressional) and judicial encroachment.Immunity from Indictment: A landmark OLC opinion establishes that the indictment or criminal prosecution of a sitting President would unconstitutionally undermine the capacity of the executive branch to perform its assigned functions.

Executive Privilege: The DOJ details the framework for invoking Executive Privilege, arguing that presidential communications and internal deliberations must be kept confidential to protect the President's ability to receive candid, informed advice.

You can read more about the constitutional constraints and principles OLC addresses in the DOJ Separation of Powers Memorandum.

Boo1

(471 posts)
11. And they can be discarded
Wed May 20, 2026, 07:41 AM
Wednesday

As it turns out, acting attorneys general do not have pardon power.

VeryProgressive

(78 posts)
9. Bullshit
Wed May 20, 2026, 12:59 AM
Wednesday

No future administration or Department of Justice will be bound by blatantly illegal agreement. It is criminal in and of itself.

LetMyPeopleVote

(182,291 posts)
13. Trump's Fund Shows Blanche Choosing Loyalty Over Pushing Back (New York Times Gift Article)
Thu May 21, 2026, 08:19 PM
Thursday

Once seen by some as the most conventional of President Trump’s political appointees, Todd Blanche has taken off the gloves in his new role as acting attorney general.



https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/21/us/politics/trump-fund-todd-blanche-doj.html?unlocked_article_code=1.kFA.8u5z.9ACO1NiWkaBn&smid=nytcore-ios-share

Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general, has tried to tread an ever-narrowing path between his role as a top Justice Department official and the job that got him there in the first place — as President Trump’s doggedly loyal former lead defense lawyer.....

But the moves that most starkly illustrated Mr. Blanche’s evolving approach came this week. In announcing on Monday a $1.8 billion fund that would benefit those who claim they were targeted by the federal government, he effectively forged a pipeline to funnel taxpayer money to Trump allies, among them supporters who ransacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. “The machinery of government should never be weaponized against any American, and it is this department’s intention to make right the wrongs that were previously done while ensuring this never happens again,” Mr. Blanche said in a statement.

It was instantly labeled a “slush fund” by Democrats. The head of one prominent good-government group described the plan as “one of the single most corrupt acts in American history.”

Then came a stealthy stunner. The department inserted a supplement to the fund agreement that granted Mr. Trump, his family and their businesses immunity from ongoing inquiries into their taxes, an extraordinary move that could shield the president from significant financial liability — issued under Mr. Blanche’s signature.

By sticking to his single-page playbook, appealing to an audience of one, Mr. Blanche has now incurred the wrath of a larger crowd — Republican senators, who angrily confronted him during a meeting at the Capitol on Thursday that ended with leadership scrapping a major budget vote to protest the proposal......

The acting attorney general, appearing at a subcommittee hearing, calmly parried hostile questions about the $1.776 billion fund. But his brow furrowed when he was asked to confront a core question by Senator Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat from Maryland.

Was he acting in the public interest, or as Mr. Trump’s hired gun?

“The fact that I used to be President Trump’s lawyer, is just a fact, but I’m the acting attorney general!” said an agitated Mr. Blanche, the former head of the president’s criminal defense team. “So don’t say the president’s former personal lawyer will do something — the acting attorney general will do something.”

Mr. Van Hollen cut him off.

You are acting today like the president’s personal attorney, and that’s the whole problem,” he said.

I believe that Blanche will be disbarred after trump leaves office.
Latest Discussions»General Discussion»Secret part of the agreem...