A federal judge has temporarily halted the Trump administration’s efforts to create a nearly $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund” that could benefit the president’s allies and people connected to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema of the Eastern District of Virginia ruled Friday that the administration cannot take any action “pursuant to the creation or operation of the Anti-Weaponization Fund, which includes the transferring of money to the Fund; the consideration of any claims submitted to the Fund; and the disbursing of any funds from the Fund.”
Brinkema, who was appointed by former President Bill Clinton, scheduled a hearing for June 12 to hear arguments on whether to extend the halt on the fund. A group of individuals and organizations is challenging the fund, saying it is unconstitutional and violates several federal laws.
The Justice Department announced the fund last week as part of a settlement between President Donald Trump and the Internal Revenue Service. Trump had sued the IRS over a contract worker’s leak of documents concerning his tax returns in 2019.
As part of the settlement, the Justice Department said it would administer the fund designed to compensate people who claim they were targeted by a “weaponized” justice system. The department did not describe in detail how it would assess individual claims.
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Fund receives backlash, legal challenges
Challenges to the fund’s legality quickly mounted.
On Wednesday, nearly three dozen retired federal judges asked a court to reopen Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS, saying the settlement was potentially fraudulent.
Former Capitol Police officers who defended the Capitol during the Jan. 6 attack have filed a separate lawsuit seeking to block the fund. In addition, a senior Treasury Department attorney resigned in protest hours after the Justice Department announced the settlement.
The Trump administration and Justice Department have continued to defend the fund, saying there are no partisan requirements tied to eligibility.
Brinkema’s ruling came in a case brought by a group that includes a former federal prosecutor who was fired after working on cases related to the Jan. 6 riot.
“This is a win for transparency, the rule of law, and the American people,” Democracy Forward, a group representing the plaintiffs, said on X.
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