Emails reveal IRS lawyer warned of Trump administration fraud

Nearly 7,000 probationary employees at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) were fired on February 20, with a letter stating their terminations were due to poor performance. However, emails obtained by ProPublica show that a senior IRS lawyer warned officials that this claim was false and could be considered fraud. Joseph Rillotta, the IRS lawyer, expressed concern that the agency had not actually reviewed the performance of the workers being terminated. He said that keeping the performance-related language would mislead courts and hurt the employees. Despite his warnings, the IRS sent out the letters as drafted, claiming terminations were based on performance and current needs, even though many employees had received positive reviews. Following the firings, the IRS inspector general began looking into the matter. A lawyer for federal workers noted that Rillotta's concerns could help fired employees challenge their terminations in court. Recent federal lawsuits are contesting the mass firings, with judges temporarily halting the terminations while the legal battles continue. Plaintiffs in California claim that the firings were part of a massive fraud, asserting that the government misled employees about the reasons for their dismissals. In response, administration lawyers argued that proper evaluations during the probationary period were followed. A recent ruling ordered the reinstatement of some employees, stating that their firings were unjustified. Other lawsuits are also challenging the legality of the firings. Documents from these cases reveal that decisions to fire employees were made without consideration of their actual job performance. Senior IRS official Traci DiMartini confirmed that her office did not review employee performances before the mass firings and refused to sign the termination letter. When the letters were sent, they came from a generic email account without any officer's signature.