US Justice Department Agrees to Comply With Court Order Blocking Trump’s $1.8bn ‘Anti-Weaponisation’ Fund
Justice Department to Comply With Ruling Halting $1.8bn Compensation Fund
The US Department of Justice said Monday it will comply with a federal court order blocking the Trump administration’s $1.8bn “anti-weaponisation” fund, a controversial scheme designed to compensate individuals who claim they were unfairly targeted by federal authorities under previous administrations — even as the department insisted it “disagrees strongly” with the ruling.
What Is the Fund?
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche — Trump’s former personal lawyer, who assumed the role following the removal of Pam Bondi in April — announced the fund last month as part of a settlement agreement between the administration and President Trump over the leak of his tax returns.
The DOJ described the fund as being “open to anybody who was so weaponized, targeted, or persecuted, whether they were Democrat, Republican, Conservative, Independent, or otherwise.” Its eligibility criteria appeared broad, with many individuals prosecuted in connection with the 6 January 2021 Capitol riot among those who announced plans to file claims, alongside former members of Trump’s inner circle.
Court Blocks the Fund
Federal Judge Leonie Brinkema last week issued a two-page order temporarily halting the creation of the $1.776bn fund, barring the Justice Department from taking any steps to establish or operate it — including processing or disbursing claims — pending a preliminary hearing on 12 June.
The order followed a lawsuit filed in Virginia by two men who alleged the fund was discriminatory. The plaintiffs claimed they had been targeted for political retribution by the Trump administration and believed they would be excluded from filing compensation claims.
Bipartisan Opposition
The fund has drawn rare cross-party condemnation. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, the top Republican in the Senate, reiterated his opposition on Monday, stating that the White House should shut the fund down voluntarily if Congress is to pass a $72bn budget reconciliation package to fund immigration agencies.
“I made my views very clear on the issue,” Thune said. “The best way to handle it is if the administration decides to shut it down themselves.”
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer signalled his party would pursue legislation to permanently eliminate the fund. “Senate Democrats will push legislation to ban Trump’s corrupt MAGA slush fund and ensure that no president can ever do this again,” Schumer wrote on X.
Former Vice-President Mike Pence, who served under Trump’s first term, also weighed in over the weekend, calling the fund “a bad idea from the start” and urging the administration to abandon it.
Legal and Political Uncertainty
Despite its public compliance with the court order, the Justice Department defended the fund’s legality, with a spokesperson last week expressing that officials were “extremely confident” the scheme would withstand legal scrutiny. The White House declined to comment directly, redirecting all inquiries to the Justice Department.
The fund’s future now rests on the outcome of the 12 June hearing, with bipartisan legislative pressure and active judicial scrutiny converging on what critics across the political spectrum have labelled a legally dubious use of public funds.