Orrock LXXXVI XLVII#joycevance great explainer of trumps biggest grift yet. The handwriting was on the wall. The amici wrote, “With respect to these Defendants specifically, the President’s capacity for control is extraordinary.” Because a lawsuit must involve two parties on opposing sides, and this one increasingly gave every appearance of being a pretext to pay Trump damages, it became clear to everyone, including Trump’s lawyers, that it was very likely that his pitch for $10 billion in taxpayer money was going to get dismissed.
Rule 41 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure allows a plaintiff to dismiss their case if the defense hasn’t filed an answer or moved for summary judgment. That’s the situation here, the rule applies. But what’s novel is that this isn’t just a plaintiff dismissing its case; this is a plaintiff settling its case, too. Settlements are usually subject to court approval. And the Trumps didn’t mention it in their notice to the court.
A settlement agreement showed up later today and was filed with the court separately. You can read it here. It lays out the details of how Trump will create an entity that he controls to pass out taxpayer money to people he wants to get it. The settlement agreement is signed off on by the lawyers for the “opposing party,” the IRS. That would be the Justice Department. The Associate Attorney General, Stan Woodward, is the signatory./2