Justice Department Creates $1.776 Billion Anti-Weaponization Fund for Trump Allies

The Justice Department announced Monday the creation of a $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” as part of a settlement resolving President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the leak of his tax returns.

“Justice Department announces nearly $1”

AP News

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the fund would provide “a lawful process for victims of lawfare and weaponization to be heard and seek redress,” and the AP reported that people who believe they were unjustly investigated and prosecuted could apply for payouts.

AP News

The BBC said the fund is drawing sharp criticism from members of the president’s own party, and it described the $1.8bn (£1.3bn) figure as the amount to pay individuals “unfairly” investigated under previous presidents.

The BBC also tied the controversy to the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the US Capitol, saying among the claimants are people charged in that riot, and it noted Trump issued a blanket pardon for defendants involved on his first day back in office.

In Washington, the AP reported that nearly 100 Democrats in the House of Representatives signed onto a legal brief urging a judge to block what they described as an unprecedented resolution that would unjustly enrich people close to the president with taxpayer dollars.

Republican Senator Mitch McConnell attacked the idea in language that the BBC quoted directly, saying, “So the nation's top law enforcement official is asking for a slush fund to pay people who assault cops? Utterly stupid, morally wrong – Take your pick,” as Republicans sought to restrict how the money could be used.

The BBC also quoted North Carolina Republican Senator Thom Tillis calling the compensation fund “stupid on stilts,” adding that it would put lawmakers in a position where “your taxpayer dollars and my taxpayer dollars could potentially compensate someone who assaulted a police officer.”

BBC

PBS reported that legal experts said the fund is unprecedented, with Adam Zimmerman of USC Gould School of Law saying, “I don't even think we have a word for how unprecedented this is,” while PBS also noted acting Attorney General Todd Blanche argued, “It is true that this is unusual. That is true, but it is not unprecedented.”

CNN reported that Pennsylvania GOP Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick said he “100%” wants to prevent the nearly $1.8 billion fund from moving forward and said he is exploring ways to end it.

CNN further reported that Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he expects scrutiny through the appropriations process for the next fiscal year, and it quoted House Speaker Mike Johnson saying, “we don’t know any of the details of that settlement fund.”

The AP said a five-member commission appointed by Blanche will oversee the fund, and it described the Justice Department’s position that there were no “partisan requirements” for applicants and that anyone who believes they’ve been unfairly persecuted could seek a payout as well as an apology.

“One Republican congressman says he is exploring ways to end the Trump Justice Department’s move to establish a tax-payer fueled “anti-weaponization” fund, a move likely to draw the ire of President Donald Trump”

CNN

PBS reported that the Anti-Weaponization Fund would be administered by five commissioners, with four appointed by the attorney general and the fifth appointed in consultation with congressional leadership, and it added that Blanche said the president can remove any of the commissioners.

At a Senate hearing, PBS said senators pushed Blanche to make a rule or encourage commissioners to exclude people convicted of violent crimes or those who assaulted Capitol police officers, and it reported that Blanche didn’t explicitly agree to that.

The BBC said Congress can control how the DoJ spends taxpayer money, and it reported that without a clear consensus Senate Majority Leader John Thune cancelled the vote on a government-funding bill.

The AP said the fund would stop processing claims on Dec. 1, 2028, more than a month before Trump is set to leave office, and it reported that the Justice Department did not name specific individuals who might stand to benefit from the fund.