Recent court filings from President Donald Trump and his family show they acted in concert with the Department of Justice to appeal a ruling against a settlement with the Internal Revenue Service after a federal judge used the same type of collusion to block the agreement in the first place.
The family said on Monday that sanctions over the settlement should be paused in a letter to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, where it is fighting penalties a judge imposed after it dropped its lawsuit against the IRS.
The letter was filed on behalf of Donald Trump, his sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, the Trump Organization and two of their lawyers, Alejandro Brito and former White House attorney Daniel Epstein.
“Appellants agree that the district court’s erroneous Stay Order … further demonstrates the need for an immediate stay pending appeal,” wrote Christopher Oprison, a DLA Piper lawyer representing the family.
The court’s docket lists the letter as a response to a Justice Department filing. Under federal appeals rules, such a response is how the opposing side answers, according to a practice guide by the law firm Gentry Locke.
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