Trump administration to pause $1.8B ‘anti-weaponization’ fund

Digital Curator

The Trump administration said Monday it would temporarily pause a $1.8 billion fund meant to compensate allies of President Donald Trump, complying with a court order after fierce backlash from Republicans who raised concerns about a lack of oversight and the potential for payouts to participants in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from proceeding with the settlement fund, halting its formation or any potential payouts for at least the next two weeks.

The Justice Department announced Monday that, while it disagreed with the ruling, it will comply.

“This Fund was open to anybody who was so weaponized, targeted, or persecuted, whether they were Democrat, Republican, Conservative, Independent, or otherwise. The Department will abide by the Court’s ruling,” the department said on social media.

It was also reported Monday that the administration is planning to drop the fund altogether. Axios first reported it, with Punchbowl and MS Now later confirming the administration’s plans.

The administration established the fund to resolve Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the leak of his tax returns.

The fund has generated a fierce backlash since it was announced last week, with even Republicans pressing acting Attorney General Todd Blanche over the eligibility considerations and the possibility that even violent rioters at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, would be free to seek compensation.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune indicated Monday he was hopeful the White House would move to drop the fund.

“I do think the best way to handle it is if the administration decides to shut it down themselves,” Thune told reporters.

Thune, of South Dakota, previously said that the settlement money — some of which could potentially go to Trump supporters who beat police and attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 — was complicating the GOP’s agenda. It “just makes everything way harder than it should be,” he said.

During a congressional hearing, Blanche wouldn’t rule out the possibility that rioters who assaulted police on Jan. 6 could be eligible for fund payouts.

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.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.