Top Treasury Lawyer Resigns After Creation of 'Anti-Weaponization Fund'

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: New York Times

Top Treasury Lawyer Resigns After Creation of 'Anti-Weaponization Fund'

Brian Morrissey, the department's general counsel, stepped down hours after the Trump administration announced the $1.8 billion fund.


The Treasury Department's general counsel, Brian Morrissey, resigned on Monday, three people familiar with the move said. Jason Andrew for The New York Times

By Andrew Duehren
Reporting from Washington
May 18, 2026

The top lawyer at the Treasury Department stepped down on Monday in the wake of the creation of a $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization fund" that could soon make payments to President Trump's political allies, according to three people familiar with the move.

Brian Morrissey, the Treasury's general counsel, resigned from the position seven months after he was confirmed to it by the Senate and just hours after the Trump administration announced the fund on Monday.

Mr. Morrissey did not respond to requests for comment. A Treasury spokesman said, "Mr. Morrissey has served the United States Treasury with both honor and integrity. We wish him all the best in his next endeavors." In his resignation letter, Mr. Morrissey said he was grateful to have worked for Mr. Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, according to two people familiar with the letter.

{snip}

The Justice Department is creating the anti-weaponization fund as part of an agreement to settle a lawsuit that Mr. Trump brought against the Internal Revenue Service, which falls under the umbrella of the Treasury Department. In his suit, Mr. Trump accused the I.R.S. of not doing enough to prevent the unauthorized disclosure of his tax information during his first term. The president dropped the suit on Monday under scrutiny from a judge who questioned whether Mr. Trump could legally sue a government agency he controls.

Andrew Duehren covers tax policy for The Times from Washington.
https://www.nytimes.com/by/andrew-duehren

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/18/business/anti-weaponization-fund-brian-morrissey-treasury.html

---

https://www.wsj.com/us-news/law/treasury-lawyer-quits-as-government-settles-trump-irs-suit-0658a44a

*******
Us * Law
Treasury Lawyer Quits as Government Settles Trump IRS Suit

Trump appointee leaves as administration creates $1.8 billion payment fund

By Richard Rubin and C. Ryan Barber
https://www.wsj.com/news/author/richard-rubin
https://www.wsj.com/news/author/cryan-barber
Updated May 18, 2026 11:41 pm ET


Brian Morrissey, who was Treasury Department general counsel. Eric Lee/Bloomberg News

WASHINGTON--The Treasury Department's top lawyer resigned Monday as the government announced a controversial settlement with President Trump, according to people familiar with his departure.

Brian Morrissey joined the Trump administration last year as the president's pick to be Treasury Department's general counsel, after previously serving at the agency and at the Justice Department during Trump's first term. A former clerk for Justice Clarence Thomas, Morrissey didn't respond to a request for comment late Monday.

{snip}

Copyright 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
******