#sanctions
2 entries with this tag
With Diesel Above $6.50 a Gallon After His Own Iran War Helped Spike Fuel Prices, Trump Signed an Executive Order Gutting Key Parts of the Bipartisan Graham Act Sanctions on Russia Days Before They Took Effect — and Cut a Deal With Vladimir Putin for Russia to Supply Diesel to the U.S. and Global Markets, a Move Zelensky Called "Wrong" and a Member of Congress Called a "Surrender to Putin"
In October 2026, with diesel prices spiking above $6.50 a gallon — a crisis driven substantially by the oil-market shock from Trump's own war on Iran — the president reached for relief in the worst possible place: Vladimir Putin. On October 16, Trump signed an executive order waiving key provisions of the Graham Act, the bipartisan Russia sanctions law, days before they were due to take effect, calling off planned duties on Russian goods and penalties on buying Russian oil and gas. The Treasury Department simultaneously issued a general license authorizing Russian diesel sales through April 2027. The arrangement grew out of a deal Trump announced with Putin for Russia to supply diesel to the United States and global markets. The reaction was swift and bipartisan. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the move "wrong"; Rep. Don Beyer called it a "surrender to Putin"; and members of Congress from both parties had already warned that easing Russian oil sanctions enables Moscow to expand the revenue streams that fund its war on Ukraine. The administration framed it as fuel-price relief. But the relief came by rewarding the aggressor, undercutting a sanctions law Congress passed with bipartisan support, and funneling hard currency to the Kremlin's war machine — to solve a price crisis that Trump's own foreign policy helped create.
A Judge Voided the Sham Lawsuit Trump Filed Against His Own IRS to Launder Himself Tax Immunity and a $1.776 Billion "Anti-Weaponization" Slush Fund for His Allies — Finding "Bad Faith," No Real Case, and Referring Acting AG Todd Blanche for Discipline Two Days Before His Confirmation Hearing for the Permanent Job
On July 13, 2026, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams (an Obama appointee in the Southern District of Florida) issued a scathing 56-page order voiding the settlement of Trump's lawsuit against the IRS and referring his lawyers — including Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche — for disciplinary action. The backstory: in January, Trump and his two eldest sons sued the IRS for $10 billion over the leak of his tax returns. In May, "both sides" settled — except both sides were Trump. As president he controlled the IRS he was suing. The settlement created a $1.776 billion "anti-weaponization fund" to pay Trump allies (premised on January 6 and classified-documents claims) and, via a memo Blanche signed and quietly added to the DOJ announcement, granted Trump, his family, and his businesses sweeping immunity from IRS audits and other federal claims for past conduct. Nearly three dozen former federal judges from both parties — including Bush appointee J. Michael Luttig — intervened, calling it "the product of collusion" and "a fraud on the court." Williams agreed: "there was never adverseness between the Parties; there was never a case or controversy; and there was never a question as to who would prevail." She found Trump and his sons "acted in bad faith," said the tax-amnesty order "directly contravenes" the federal law barring presidents from influencing audits, and noted the $1.776 billion figure "speaks of a 'branding' effort rather than a deliberate and thoughtful calculation of damages." She was "extremely troubled" by Blanche's congressional testimony, calling one answer "at best, misleading and, at worst, disingenuous." She referred Blanche and Associate AG Stanley Woodward to the New York and D.C. bars (where disciplinary proceedings are already underway), referred private attorney Alejandro Brito to the Florida Bar, limited attorney Daniel Epstein's practice, voided the agreement so it can never be cited in any proceeding, and ordered sanctions. She closed by quoting John Adams: "Facts are stubborn things." The ruling landed two days before Blanche's Senate Judiciary confirmation hearing to become permanent attorney general.