A federal judge in the United States has upheld a block on the $1.8 billion (approximately £1.3 billion) “anti-weaponisation” fund put forward by former President Donald Trump, rejecting verbal assurances from the administration that the plan has been scrapped and demanding formal sworn confirmation within seven days that the initiative will not move forward.
The controversial proposal first emerged as part of a planned settlement in Trump’s personal lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service, filed over the unauthorized leak of his confidential tax returns. Under the plan, the $1.776 billion fund would be overseen by a five-person independent commission tasked with reviewing and compensating claims from individuals who identified as victims of so-called “lawfare” and the “weaponisation” of the U.S. justice system.
Almost immediately after the fund was announced, it sparked fierce bipartisan backlash in Congress, as lawmakers raised urgent alarms that the fund could be used to issue payouts to people charged or convicted in connection with the January 6, 2021 U.S. Capitol riot — including those found guilty of assaulting law enforcement officers during the insurrection. In response to the widespread public and congressional outrage, Attorney General Todd Blanche told lawmakers on Capitol Hill earlier this month that the Trump administration would abandon the plan entirely, stating clearly “We’re not moving forward with the fund, period.”
Last week, U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema issued a temporary restraining order pausing the implementation of the fund, which was set to expire at the end of Friday. During a Friday court hearing, Brinkema pushed back against arguments that Blanche’s congressional testimony constituted sufficient assurance that the fund was dead. According to MS NOW, the judge repeatedly emphasized that verbal testimony was not enough to lock in the cancellation, and ordered that formal sworn confirmation of the fund’s termination be submitted by both Attorney General Blanche and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent within one week.
The legal challenge to block the fund was brought by a coalition of plaintiffs, led by Andrew Floyd, a former federal prosecutor who has claimed he was wrongfully fired from his position after leading prosecutions of January 6 Capitol rioters. Following the judge’s ruling, Floyd released a statement reaffirming his commitment to the lawsuit. “I will continue this litigation to ensure that this unconstitutional fund does not erase the accountability imposed by judges and impartial jurors — and the hard-earned work of the victims, witnesses, law enforcement officers, and prosecutors who delivered it,” Floyd said.
The ongoing legal battle over the fund highlights deep partisan and institutional tensions over the Trump administration’s approach to the justice system, and the widespread concern over potential attempts to pardon or compensate individuals convicted of crimes related to the 2021 Capitol insurrection.