Federal judge indefinitely blocks Trump’s ‘anti-weaponization fund’

A federal judge in Virginia on Friday extended her block on the Trump administration’s “anti-weaponization fund”, frustrated that the Department of Justice has not said under the penalty of perjury whether the fund is truly dead. U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema said “none of those statements” from Blanche or the president, “have been made under the penalty of perjury.” Earlier this month, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told House lawmakers, “We’re not moving forward with the fund, period,” but the next day, President Donald Trump told reporters, “I don’t know,” when asked whether the fund was on hold or eliminated. Brinkema also drilled down on Justice Department attorney Andrew Block, who has not answered why the Department of Justice has not formally rescinded its memo related to the creation of the “anti-weaponization fund.” “I don’t have the ability to speak directly to the attorney general,” Block said. “I can not believe given the significance you don’t have an answer,” Brinkema shot back. She added “there’s a huge gap in the record” if we don’t have an answer to that question. The ongoing lawsuit stems from the Trump administration’s announcement last month that it planned to set up a $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund,” aimed at paying people who have “suffered weaponization and lawfare” from the federal government. The fund could have been used to pay those who were charged and later pardoned by Trump for their action on Jan. 6, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol. In an interview last week with NBC News, the president didn’t rule out paying Jan. 6 attendees who were later charged for assaulting law enforcement officers. Brinkema on Friday said she’s concerned that if this fund isn’t really dead, it might come back in a different form. “When the President of the United States says he’s going to be pretty upset if something happens, thats a pretty good incentive” to do something, Brinkema said. Brinkema said the public also doesn’t have a real sense the fund is dead — she said the federal court in Alexandria actually received an application to the fund, which she said they returned to the sender. “We’re not accepting applications,” she said dryly. But she did say she believes the public is largely against the idea of $1.8 billion taxpayer dollars being diverted to people who committed crimes against federal law enforcement officers, calling it “problematic.” Brinkema granted the plaintiffs a preliminary injunction until further notice, but said, “If the government truly means what it means,” she’s going to give the government a week to come up with a declaration from acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, stating under penalty of perjury the fund is really dead. Following Friday’s injunction, plaintiffs in the case applauded Brinkema’s decision. In a statement, Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, said, “Despite the administration’s shifting explanations about the future of the slush fund, the court’s order ensures that taxpayer dollars cannot be distributed through this unlawful scheme while the courts fully consider the serious constitutional issues at stake. We look forward to continuing this challenge on behalf of our clients.” Omar Noureldin, Common Cause’s senior vice president for policy and litigation, said, “Today’s ruling is a massive win, ensuring hard-earned tax dollars stay out of the hands of the President’s cronies and people who violently assaulted law enforcement on January 6 while we’re securing justice for American taxpayers in court. We’ve successfully locked the President’s personal slush fund for now, and we’ll keep the pressure on until it’s shut down for good.” Former federal prosecutor Andrew Floyd, who was part of a lawsuit to block the fund, said, “I’m heartened that the injunction continues to prevent $1.776 billion in taxpayer money from being used to pay off those who attacked our democracy. 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.”