A on Friday temporarily stopped President’s administration from creating a nearly $1.8 billion fund intended to compensate individuals whom Trump has described as victims of government “weaponisation,” as reported by Reuters.
As reported by Reuters, the order by U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema of the Eastern District of Virginia blocks the Trump administration from “taking any further action” to set up or operate the fund while the judge hears additional legal arguments. The order will remain in effect at least until June 12.
The Justice Department announced the creation of an “Anti-Weaponization Fund” last week as part of an agreement to settle Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the leak of his tax records.
The administration established a $1.776 billion fund, to be managed by a five-member commission, to provide compensation to individuals who can demonstrate they were victims of “lawfare” and “weaponisation”, terms frequently used by Trump and his allies to describe investigations and criminal cases against them, Reuters reported.
Friday’s ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed by a group that claimed it had been targeted by the Trump-Vance administration as ideological and political opponents, and argued that they would be excluded from receiving compensation from the fund, the report stated.
“This is a victory for transparency, the rule of law, and the American people,” said Skye Perryman, the head of Democracy Forward, the anti-Trump group that brought the lawsuit, Reuters reported. “No administration has the authority to spend public money through a political rewards program.”
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has said there are no partisan requirements on who is eligible for compensation. The fund spurred a backlash, even from some lawmakers in Trump’s Republican Party, who expressed anger that some people who attacked the , could receive taxpayer-funded payouts. It was widely derided as a “slush fund” that would reward Trump’s political allies, Reuters reported.
Brinkema said the temporary order was necessary to maintain the status quo and prevent funds from being “irreversibly disbursed” before she considered the plaintiffs’ request for a temporary restraining order against the fund.
The group suing includes a former DOJ prosecutor who prosecuted January 6 rioters and a California professor who was arrested while protesting an
The lawsuit filed by Democracy Forward is one of at least three legal challenges opposing the creation of the fund.
(With inputs from Reuters)
