Two police officers who defended the Capitol during the Jan. 6 attack filed suit Tuesday to halt a Trump administration fund worth $1.8 billion, contending it amounts to taxpayer money channeled directly to the insurgents who assaulted them.
Former Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn and D.C. Metropolitan Police Officer Daniel Hodges argue the "anti-weaponization" fund is unlawful and premised on a "corrupt sham" settlement. The fund stems from a deal in which Trump and his sons withdrew a $10 billion lawsuit against the government over a tax return leak, in exchange for the government creating the compensation pool.
According to the officers' legal challenge, the fund will enable applicants claiming harm from government actions to receive payouts through a process overseen by five commissioners yet to be named. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Tuesday that anyone may apply, including those involved in Jan. 6, but stressed that rioters would not automatically receive money. "Does it mean they're going to get money? No," Blanche said. "It just means they are allowed to apply."
The determination process remains opaque. Unlike civil litigation that unfolds in open court, the fund will operate with minimal public visibility, leaving unclear how Justice Department officials will evaluate applications and distribute the money.
Dunn and Hodges say they have endured harassment and death threats from Jan. 6 participants since speaking publicly about their injuries and the day's violence. They contend the fund incentivizes further violence by rewarding those who stormed the Capitol in Trump's name. The lawsuit cites public statements from Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, Blanche, and administration official Ed Martin to argue that "the purpose of the Anti-Weaponization Fund is obvious: to provide the January 6 rioters, including the Proud Boys, with the remuneration they, the President, and the President's allies all agree they are owed."
More than 140 police officers sustained injuries during the Jan. 6, 2021 siege. About 1,500 people faced charges related to the riot, though Trump pardoned the majority upon returning to office and commuted sentences for others on his first day.
Brendan Ballou, a former federal prosecutor who handled Jan. 6 cases, filed the lawsuit on the officers' behalf. He warned that if the fund proceeds, "it will fund insurrectionists, militias, and paramilitaries that are loyal to the president but unaccountable to the rule of law."
Author Sarah Mitchell: "This lawsuit cuts to the heart of whether the federal government can essentially pay people for political violence, and the opacity of the process makes it nearly impossible to prevent exactly that outcome."
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