politics
Jan. 6 Officers Sue to Block Trump’s $1.8 Billion Fund
Two police officers who defended the Capitol on Jan. 6 filed suit in federal court to stop the Trump administration from distributing $1.8 billion to people who claim they were victims of prosecutorial overreach. The officers allege the fund is illegal and will compensate individuals who have threatened them.
May 20, 11:14 AM·1m read7 sources
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U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 8 billion fund created by the Department of Justice. S. , names Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent as additional defendants. It seeks to halt the “Anti-Weaponization Fund,” which the administration says will compensate people who claim they suffered from weaponization of the justice system.
The original suit alleged an IRS employee improperly leaked Trump tax records. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who previously served as Trump’s criminal defense lawyer, created the fund under the settlement terms. The DOJ said the fund will provide a process to hear claims and issue formal apologies and monetary relief to qualifying applicants.
Lawsuit Claims The plaintiffs are former U.S.
Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn and active Metropolitan Police Department officer Daniel Hodges. Both officers were present at the Capitol when it was stormed by a mob of Trump supporters during the joint session of Congress confirming Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral victory.
“In the most brazen act of presidential corruption this century, President Donald J. ”
The officers allege the fund is illegal because no statute authorizes its creation and its design violates the Constitution and federal law. They claim the fund will compensate and empower people who have sent them death threats and confronted them since Trump issued broad pardons for Jan. 6 defendants.
Administration officials have said anyone who believes they were a victim of weaponization can apply, and an independent five-member commission will decide payouts. Vice President JD Vance told reporters on Tuesday that decisions would be made case-by-case and did not rule out payments to individuals charged with assaulting police officers.
