Judge appears skeptical of Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against IRS and Treasury

A federal judge on Friday questioned the constitutionality of President Donald Trump's $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS and Treasury Department over the leak of his tax returns. Florida District Judge Kathleen M. Williams said it is unclear whether Trump and the agencies are "sufficiently adverse to each other" and ordered both sides to provide more information on the relationship. The judge noted the ways that Trump has sought to expand presidential power, pointing to an executive order barring executive branch employees from advancing legal interpretations that contradict the president's "opinion on a matter of a law." Williams' questions come as Trump's lawyers are engaged in talks with the IRS and Treasury to resolve the lawsuit. The judge also cited Trump's comments acknowledging "the unique dynamic of this litigation." CNN Senior Legal Analyst Elie Honig said Williams is calling out the "obvious irregularity of having essentially the same person in interest" on both sides of the lawsuit. The president, along with his sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, filed suit in January, alleging that the government failed to protect his and the Trump Organization's confidential tax information, which was leaked to the press by Charles Littlejohn, a former IRS contractor. Littlejohn was sentenced to five years in prison for disclosing thousands of tax returns without authorization. Trump's legal team alleged that the IRS is legally responsible for Littlejohn's actions because he had "staff-like access to tax returns and confidential tax return information." Trump's efforts to resolve his lawsuit come as his Department of Justice recently settled two high-profile cases with former advisers.

(Source：Google News)