Writing about THIS because it HAS to be written about:
Justice Department Creates Unusual $1.8 Billion ‘Anti-Weaponization Fund’
The move comes as Trump drops his lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service
Updated May 18, 2026 1:18 pm ET
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WASHINGTON—The Trump administration created an unusual settlement fund valued at nearly $1.8 billion to compensate people who claim the federal government weaponized the legal system against them, a move announced in tandem with President Trump’s decision to withdraw a lawsuit seeking billions of dollars from the Internal Revenue Service.
Trump is also dropping two other claims against the government that he runs, one that sought damages for the search of his Mar-a-Lago estate and another about the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, which loomed over much of his first term.
The president—along with his namesake company and sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump—will receive a formal apology but no monetary payment or damages as part of the settlement, the Justice Department said.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche will appoint a five-person commission to administer the “Anti-Weaponization Fund,” which will last through Dec. 15, 2028, and have the power to issue apologies and pay people who submit claims. Trump will be able to fire commission members.
The Justice Department offered few details about who would qualify for payouts, but Trump allies and supporters—including many charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol—are expected to seek slices of the fund. A memo signed by Blanche doesn’t specifically address whether members of the Trump family can make claims from the fund.
This is perhaps the most blatant act of corruption in the history of our country.
It’s being take from an existing government “Judgment Fund” used to compensate people wronged by the federal government. The Judgment Fund is a permanent, indefinite appropriation created by Congress in 1956 and codified at 31 U.S.C. § 1304. It allows the federal government to pay certain court judgments and legal settlements against the United States without needing a separate appropriation bill each time.
Congress itself created the fund through legislation.
Congress later expanded it through additional laws and amendments.
Treasury and the Department of Justice can only use it within the statutory conditions Congress established.
The new Victimization Fund is being overseen by the acting AG Todd Blanche who was Trump’s personal defense lawyer. There is no congressional oversight of this new Fund which was NOT authorized by Congress.
This is literally a brazen looting of the federal government to pay (bribe?) duly convicted J6 participants and any other Trump supporters Trump and his cronies deem worthy.
IANAL, but it is almost assuredly illegal (among other things, the original Judgment Fund can only be used to for court judgments and legal settlements; this is technically NOT either since Trump withdrew his IRS lawsuit).
More from the WSJ Article:
Trump brought the suit under a tax code section that allows people to seek damages from the government for illegal disclosures of private tax information. Trump’s tax records were disclosed by Charles Littlejohn, an IRS contractor who provided them to news organizations and was convicted of a crime. Littlejohn is in federal prison in Illinois, with his release scheduled for next year, according to the Bureau of Prisons.
The president’s path to legal success was uncertain.
The tax code only allows lawsuits against the government when a federal employee is responsible for the disclosure. In a case brought by billionaire Ken Griffin, the U.S. argued that it wasn’t liable because Littlejohn was a contractor. The government settled that case during the Biden administration, apologizing to Griffin without a resolution of that legal question. During the Trump administration, the Justice Department reiterated its position that Littlejohn wasn’t a federal employee.
Trump’s own DOJ argued that the IRS was not liable for a release of tax information by a gov’t contractor. It was a gov’t contractor - the same one as in the Griffin case - who released Trump’s tax info and who is now serving time in jail for doing so. The judge on the case was skeptical to say the least.
Ther is soooo much more on this to come.
It’s the Corruption, Stupid. Every single Democratic candidate needs to brings this up and connect it to people’s problems: “Do you know why you can’t afford healthcare for your child? Because Trump took your taxpayer money to pay off his supporters who he incited to storm the capitol on January 6 to overturn a certified, valid election.”
It’s The Corruption, Stupid!
Follow-up:
Let's be clear: Republicans could shut down Trump's slush fund today if they wanted to. Note that Raskin is calling on Republicans to join in legislating to block the fund. They won't, of course.
— Greg Sargent (@gregsargent.bsky.social) 2026-05-18T18:37:50.278Z
Edited PS - Earlier settlement discussions reportedly considered a provision that would end current and future IRS audits involving Trump, family members, and related businesses. Multiple outlets reported that this idea was “under review” during negotiations. Wonder if that’s an unreported part of the “deal”?
