# Treasury chief dodges questions on Trump's IRS immunity in Senate hearing  
**Published:** 2026-06-03T20:50:53.000Z  
**Source:** [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/03/repub/treasurys-bessent-mum-on-trumps-irs-immunity-deal/)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://lincolne.news/article/treasury-chief-dodges-questions-on-trump-s-irs-immunity-in-senate-hearing

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent declined to answer direct questions Wednesday about whether [President Donald Trump and his family remain protected from future IRS tax audits](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/03/repub/treasurys-bessent-mum-on-trumps-irs-immunity-deal/) under a controversial settlement negotiated by the Trump administration. The evasive responses during a Senate Finance Committee budget hearing underscored the administration's opacity surrounding the deal that ended Trump's $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS.

Bessent repeatedly cited "ongoing litigation" when pressed by lawmakers about the settlement's details, which include provisions that bar the IRS from pursuing examinations of Trump, his family and affiliated businesses related to tax returns filed before the May 19 agreement. [The settlement addendum declares the government is "FOREVER BARRED" from prosecuting claims against the Trump entities](https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1441216/dl), though the administration disputes characterizing this as "immunity."

The testimony came one day after Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told Congress that the administration would abandon a nearly $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund created as part of the Trump settlement. [Blanche said Trump and his family members would "remain protected from tax audits and enforcement actions tied to tax returns filed before the settlement."](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/03/bessent-irs-commissioner-trump-tax-settlement-doj.html)

Democratic senators grew frustrated with Bessent's refusal to provide clarity. "Secretary Bessent owes the committee an explanation of what the Treasury knows about the dirty settlement," said Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., noting Treasury was both a defendant and negotiator in the lawsuit. When Wyden asked directly whether the IRS audit immunity "still stands," Bessent deflected again, prompting an exasperated response from the senator.

[The hearing also revealed that Bessent is "performing the duties" of IRS commissioner, though he is not officially the agency's acting commissioner](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/03/bessent-irs-commissioner-trump-tax-settlement-doj.html), a distinction that drew scrutiny from lawmakers concerned about conflicts of interest in Treasury's role in the settlement.

The anti-weaponization fund faced bipartisan backlash, particularly over concerns it could compensate individuals who participated in the January 6 Capitol riot. Senate Republicans and Democrats alike opposed the arrangement, stalling GOP efforts to pass immigration enforcement legislation before Trump's June 1 deadline.

## Sources

- [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/03/repub/treasurys-bessent-mum-on-trumps-irs-immunity-deal/)
- [Department of Justice settlement addendum language on tax return claims](https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1441216/dl)
- [CNBC reporting on Bessent's testimony and Blanche's statement on Trump tax protections](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/03/bessent-irs-commissioner-trump-tax-settlement-doj.html)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Nebraska Examiner, enriched with 3 web searches. The original source is available at https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/03/repub/treasurys-bessent-mum-on-trumps-irs-immunity-deal/.