After Federal Judge Calls Trump Immunity Order Illegal, Warren and Wyden Press Treasury, IRS to Cease Implementation

In new ruling, federal judge stated that order shielding President Trump and inner circle from tax audits is illegal Lawmakers: “The sole purpose of this order appears to have been to corruptly shield the President and his family from accountability for potential violations of federal law.” Text of Letter (PDF) Washington, D.C. — After a federal judge stated that the Department of Justice’s order attempting to shield President Donald Trump, his family, and his businesses from tax audits “directly contravenes” federal law, U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, pressed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chief Executive Officer of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Frank Bisignano to cease implementation of the order. In January 2026, President Trump sued the Treasury Department and the IRS for $10 billion over leaks of his tax information that occurred during his first term, creating an unprecedented situation where the President acted as plaintiff while wielding authority over the defendants. In May 2026, the DOJ announced an out-of-court settlement between the plaintiffs, Treasury, and the IRS. The settlement included an addendum signed by Acting Attorney General Blanche that purports to exempt President Trump, his family, and his businesses from being audited or investigated by the IRS or Treasury for any matters having occurred prior to May 19, 2026. “From the start, this order — styled as part of a settlement to Trump v. IRS — has appeared to be both illegal and corrupt,” wrote the lawmakers. This week, a federal judge issued a ruling stating that the Acting Attorney General’s order “directly contravenes” federal law. The judge explained that the May 19 order violates 26 U.S.C. §7217, which prohibits the President and certain executive branch officials from interfering with tax audits and investigations. “The sole purpose of this order appears to have been to corruptly shield the President and his family from accountability for potential violations of federal law,” wrote the lawmakers . Senators Warren and Wyden pressed for answers from the Trump administration, including whether the IRS has implemented any part of the order, if it has ceased all actions to implement the order, and if the IRS Office of Chief Counsel has conducted an analysis of whether the addendum is legal. “The IRS should not and cannot implement illegal orders,” wrote the lawmakers, demanding answers by July 22, 2026. Senator Warren has led the fight to root out corruption and hold the Trump administration accountable: In July 2026, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, investigated whether key companies with Trump family ties scored get-out-of-jail-free cards from President Donald Trump’s corrupt settlement with the Treasury Department (Treasury) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). In June 2026, Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), along with Representatives Jason Crow (D-Colo.) and Mike Levin (D-Calif.), pressed White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles following reports that the White House interfered to deliver a lucrative Department of Defense (DoD) contract to Vulcan Elements, a key Trump Jr.-linked company. In May 2026, Senator Elizabeth Warren pressed the Acting Director-Designate for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), David Venturella , on his decades-long revolving door career between ICE and the private prison industry and his reported use of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) personnel and resources for personal or political favors. In May 2026, Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.) introduced the Banning Lobbying And Safeguarding Trust (BLAST) Act , a bipartisan bill to impose a lifetime ban on lobbying by former members of Congress. In February 2026, Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Andy Kim (D-N.J.), along with Representatives Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.) and Deborah Ross (D-N.C.) pressed the Inspectors General (IGs) of 16 key agencies to open investigations into senior Trump officials who were recently lobbyists or “shadow lobbyists” and may be using their roles to benefit their former employers and clients. In January 2026, Senators Warren (D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Andy Kim (D-N.J.), pressed Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on potential conflicts of interest surrounding the awarding of multiple lucrative Department of Defense (DoD) contracts and loans to companies associated with President Donald Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr. In December 2025, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Representative Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.) pressed the Trump administration to follow through on promises to limit defense companies’ stock buybacks and incentivize them to increase research and development spending. In December 2025, Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) called for then-Attorney General Pam Bondi to recuse herself from the Department of Justice (DOJ)’s review of any Warner Bros. merger due to potential conflicts of interest related to her former employer, lobbying firm Ballard Partners. In September 2025, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, wrote to Donald Korb , nominee for Chief Counsel for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), ahead of Korb’s confirmation hearing, pressing him on his stark conflicts of interest and urging him to make ethics commitments to mitigate these conflicts. In July 2025, Senators Warren (D-Mass.) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.) wrote to former Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin seeking an explanation and further information on his recent decision to start a strategic advisory firm. Austin had publicly promised Senator Warren during his 2021 confirmation process that he would not become a lobbyist after his government service ended. In July 2023, United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee Subcommittee on Personnel, and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), and United States Representatives Jason Crow (D-Colo.) and Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.) introduced the Retired Officers Conflict of Interest Act – a bill that would require public reporting on retired service members working on behalf of foreign governments and creating civil penalties if they break the law. In December 2020, Senator Warren (D-Mass.) and Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) reintroduced the Anti-Corruption & Public Integrity Act to strengthen ethics laws and crack down on government officials’ conflicts of interest across the government. ###