Podcaster Joe Rogan has mocked the Department of Justice for permanently excusing President Donald Trump and his family from IRS audits on past tax returns. “That is so crazy,” the podcaster said on an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience featuring comedian Tom Segura released Monday.
Settlement Details
Rogan was reacting to part of the settlement reached through the DOJ for a $10 billion lawsuit that Trump, his children, and the Trump Organization filed against the IRS in January. The lawsuit centered around a leak of the president’s tax records to news outlets during his first term.
The DOJ promised that the federal government would not investigate potential claims against Trump, his family, or his companies over unpaid taxes, according to a one-page document signed by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and dated May 19.
Rogan's Comparison
Rogan likened the situation to someone wrongfully accused of murder being immune from future murder charges. “Imagine somebody accused you of murder. And it turns out you weren’t guilty of that murder, and then you sue them, and you go, ‘You can never prosecute me for murder again.’ And then you just go straight Uday Hussein,” the podcaster said, referring to the eldest son of the late Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
Rogan's Relationship with Trump
Rogan endorsed Trump in the 2024 election and has been seen being friendly to the president, including hugging him at a UFC fight shortly after his victory. However, the podcast host has also broken with Trump on several issues, including immigration crackdowns, the handling of Jeffrey Epstein files, and the war against Iran launched in February.
“It just seems so insane based on what he ran on,” Rogan said of the Iran war in a discussion with independent journalist Michael Shellenberger. “I mean, this is why a lot of people feel betrayed, right? He ran on ‘No more wars, end these stupid, senseless wars.’”
Document Provisions
The one-page document Rogan criticized states that the IRS is “forever barred and precluded” from pursuing “examinations” into Trump and “related or affiliated individuals,” including his family, trusts, and “related companies, affiliates and subsidiaries.” The agreement applies to “tax returns filed before the effective date” of the settlement.
Justice Department spokesperson Natalie Baldassarre previously told The Independent: “There would be little point in settling several significant claims if either party could simply turn around and seek to initiate more adverse claims that could have been pursued previously. This is only with respect to existing audits, not future.”
Criticism of Settlement
Also included in the settlement is what critics call Trump’s nearly $1.8 billion “slush fund” — a reserve that could compensate the president’s allies who believe they were unfairly prosecuted. One major concern about the fund is that it can be used to reward pro-Trump rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, and attacked police officers.
