Judge indefinitely blocks Trump $1.8B ‘slush fund’ that administration claimed was dead

Judge indefinitely blocks Trump $1.8B ‘slush fund’ that administration claimed was dead Top DOJ officials insisted the government was ‘not moving forward’ with plans for an Anti-Weaponization Fund - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments A federal judge has indefinitely blocked Donald Trump’s administration from implementing a nearly $1.8 billion compensation fund for his political allies after officials claimed they were “not moving forward” with the plans. Friday’s injunction from District Judge Leonie Brinkema extends a previous order that prevented the government from “taking any further action pursuant to the creation or operation of the Anti-Weaponization Fund” — including transferring money to it, considering any claims and mailing any checks while a legal challenge plays out. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and the Department of Justice insisted the administration would follow the court’s order and abandon plans for the fund, but officials have also suggested that they are still looking for pathways to issue massive taxpayer-funded payouts to alleged “victims” of government “weaponization,” including January 6 rioters and close allies of the president. The now-blocked $1.1776 billion fund – announced as part an agreement between the president and the IRS after he sued his own administration for $10 billion — would be used to settle claims from those alleged “victims.” Several lawsuits were filed in response, including a case brought by a career federal prosecutor who says he was fired in retaliation for working on cases against members of the mob that broke into the Capitol on January 6, 2021 — a history that the Trump administration has sought to rewrite with the erasure of hundreds of convictions. Those former defendants quickly lined up to file multi-million dollar claims with the now-defunct fund. Brinkema, who is overseeing the case from former prosecutor Andrew Floyd, issued her initial injunction late last month. That injunction was set to expire Friday. The Justice Department now has a week to provide her with evidence that the fund has been permanently abandoned. While the fund faces immense legal and political hurdles, top Republicans and administration officials have already indicated that the government could turn to an existing fund to start settling hundreds of lawsuits and other claims brought by Trump’s allies. A judge overseeing another lawsuit against the fund warned the Justice Department this week that the government could face legal consequences if the fund. “Don’t play possum with this court,” Washington, D.C. District Judge Richard Leon told lawyers on Wednesday. “Tools to provide restitution to victims of government weaponization have always been in place across both Democrat and Republican administrations,” a spokesperson for the Justice Department told The Independent. “The fact that the media is now just realizing this does not mean it’s some new, novel campaign within the Department,” the person said. This is a developing story Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments