A federal judge on Friday paused implementation of President Trump’s $1.776 billion “weaponization” fund to compensate alleged victims of government persecution.
Alexandria, Va., US District Judge Leonie Brinkema temporarily blocked the administration from “taking any further action” to set up the fund or disperse the money pending further proceedings.
Brinkema, a Clinton appointee, made the ruling in a case brought by Capitol riot prosecutor Andrew Floyd, who argued the fund is illegal.
The Justice Department established the pot of money last week after Trump agreed to drop a lawsuit against the IRS over the leak of his tax returns.
Contractor Charles Littlejohn pleaded guilty in 2023 to sharing 15 years of Trump’s tax returns with the New York Times for a 2020 article series.
Littlejohn is currently serving a five-year sentence in a federal prison in Illinois.
The Justice Department said Friday that it “remains extremely confident in the legality of the Anti-Weaponization Fund which is supported by ample precedent, including Obama-era settlements.”
“We will not allow the policy preferences of judges to interfere with our efforts to provide restitution to victims of lawfare,” a DOJ spokesperson said. --->READ MORE HERE
Dozens of former federal judges have demanded a court reopen President Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS that his team settled last week in exchange for the creation of a $1.776 billion anti-weaponization compensation fund.
A group of 35 former jurists filed a stunning motion for relief late Wednesday slamming the settlement of the $10 billion suit and raising concerns about “manipulation” by the Trump administration.
“The purported ‘settlement’ that was publicly disclosed after this court dismissed this matter raises profound questions about the parties’ candor toward the court and manipulation of the judicial system, which threatens to undermine confidence in the administration of justice,” the judges argued.
The motion was filed with Miami federal Judge Kathleen Williams, who agreed to close the case last week after Trump’s team moved for voluntary dismissal. The plaintiffs have asked Williams to take advantage of a rule allowing the revival of the case so the settlement terms can be scrutinized.
“It is a routine move for plaintiffs to dismiss cases without referencing any settlement. This motion is frivolous, and there is nothing improper about this agreement,” a DOJ spokesperson told The Post.
Trump had sued the IRS in January, accusing the powerful tax agency of failing to protect his personal information.
Former IRS contractor Charles Littlejohn was sentenced to five years behind bars in January 2024 for leaking Trump’s tax returns and data on other billionaires to the New York Times and ProPublica.
On May 18, the DOJ announced a settlement in which victims of alleged government weaponization could apply for relief from a $1.776 billion fund.
The agreement, which Trump denied negotiating but praised nonetheless, drew bipartisan outrage — triggering a screamfest in a Senate Republican conference meeting last week and prompting the chamber to break for recess early without passing a funding bill for Immigration and Customs Enforcement as well as Customs and Border Protection. --->READ MORE HERE
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