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Judge orders Trump administration to reveal who set up $1.8bn ‘anti-weaponization fund’
The Guardian • • nation
Key Points:
- A federal judge in Virginia has ordered the Trump administration to disclose who established a controversial $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization fund" intended to compensate victims of political lawfare, as part of a lawsuit filed by the Democracy Forward non-profit.
- The fund, proposed by former Attorney General Todd Blanche and reportedly dropped last month, was linked to a settlement between Trump and the IRS that shielded Trump and his family from future tax audits.
- Critics, including bipartisan lawmakers, argued the fund would compensate prosecuted and pardoned January 6 rioters, and a federal judge ruled that the related $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS was a pretense to legitimize the fund.
- Blanche stated the fund "is dead" and never started, but some Democrats remain concerned it could be revived, while Trump expressed regret over its abandonment and hinted at seeking other compensation avenues.
