Pam Bondi Says Trump Allowed $1.7 Billion Anti-Weaponization Fund
President Trump said on Friday that he had allowed the Justice Department's $1.7 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund to go forward, after saying earlier this week that he was not involved in its creation. The fund is tied to a settlement deal over Trump's IRS lawsuit involving a leak of his tax returns.
Trump posted on Truth Social, "I gave up a lot of money in allowing the just announced Anti-Weaponization Fund to go forward." The Justice Department said the fund aims to provide a systematic process to hear and redress claims of others who suffered weaponization and lawfare.
Todd Blanche and the Fund
The Justice Department announced the fund on Monday. Trump said that day, "It's been very well received, I have to tell you. I know very little about it. I wasn't involved in the whole creation of it and the negotiation." On Wednesday, he told reporters he "wasn't involved in the settlement."
A board appointed by the attorney general would determine payments from the fund. During a closed-door meeting on Thursday, Senate Republicans pressed Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche for more information about the program.
Jan. 6 Pardons and Claims
Some Senate Republicans raised concerns that people convicted of assaulting law enforcement during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol could receive money after receiving pardons from Trump. Trump pardoned more than 1,500 defendants convicted of crimes stemming from the attack on the first day of his second term.
Michael Cohen said he intended to apply for payouts from the $1.7 billion fund. Michael Caputo said he intended to apply as well, and Enrique Tarrio suggested he may seek compensation. Tarrio was convicted of seditious conspiracy and sentenced to 22 years in prison for his role in the Jan. 6 assault.
Trump and the Settlement
The practical effect now is immediate for anyone weighing a claim: the Justice Department has put a formal process in place, but payments will run through a board appointed by the attorney general, not by a claimant's own account of harm. Senate Republicans have already demanded more detail from Blanche, and the people who have publicly said they may seek payouts include Cohen, Caputo and Tarrio.
