WASHINGTON (TNND) — A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from paying out any claims from the nearly $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” settlement fund for allies of the president who claim they were victims of politically motivated prosecutions.
U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema in Alexandria, Virginia, barred the government from moving forward with the fund. The judge scheduled a June 12 hearing for arguments on whether to extend the order blocking payouts.
The Justice Department hasn’t formed the five-member commission that will decide on payout criteria, so there has been no money paid out yet or claims accepted.
The fund stems from a settlement of President Donald Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) over the leak of his tax returns. Trump himself would not receive money under the settlement, though the DOJ said he would receive a formal apology.
Two police officers who helped defend the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack filed a lawsuit last week, arguing it is an illegal “slush fund to finance the insurrectionists and paramilitary groups that commit violence” in Trump’s name.
Some Republicans have also questioned the lack of transparency surrounding the program.
“I mean my God, do you see where this would head? These people don’t deserve restitution. They, many of them deserve to be in prison. Some of them deserve the pardon because they were over prosecuted, but this is, uh, I mean this is just stupid on stilts,” Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., told reporters.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the fund’s creation during a congressional hearing, where he declined to rule out the possibility that people convicted of violence during the Jan. 6 attack could receive payouts from the fund.
Pressed by Sen. Jeff Merkley, an Oregon Democrat, over whether individuals who assaulted police officers would be eligible for compensation, Blanche said anyone could apply if “they believe they were a victim of weaponization.”
Nearly 1,600 people were charged with Capitol riot-related federal crimes. Over 1,200 were convicted and sentenced before Trump handed out mass pardons, commuted prison sentences and ordered the dismissal of every pending Jan. 6 criminal case last year.