DOJ pauses anti-weaponization fund after GOP backlash and court order
6 verified4 unconfirmed2 contested
The Justice Department announced it will comply with a federal court order temporarily blocking the creation of a fund intended to compensate individuals it described as victims of political targeting. The move follows widespread backlash from Senate Republicans, many of whom threatened to vote with Democrats to block the fund and thereby stall a separate immigration enforcement package. Democratic leaders, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, are pushing legislation and amendments to permanently eliminate the fund. A federal judge in Virginia issued the temporary block after a lawsuit from a former prosecutor involved in Jan. 6 cases and others. The fund was established after the Trump administration settled a lawsuit with the IRS over the leaking of Trump’s tax information. The dispute had derailed Republican efforts to advance a large immigration funding bill through the budget reconciliation process.
What’s verified
The DOJ announced it would abide by a Virginia federal court order temporarily blocking the fund.
The fund was created after the Trump administration settled a lawsuit with the IRS over the leaking of Trump’s tax information.
Senate Republicans expressed strong opposition to the fund, with some threatening to vote with Democrats to block it.
Democratic leaders, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, are pushing legislation and amendments to permanently kill the fund.
A federal judge in Virginia temporarily blocked the fund after a lawsuit from a former Jan. 6 prosecutor and others.
The fund had stalled a Republican effort to pass a major immigration enforcement package.
Where accounts differ
The amount of the fund is reported as nearly $2 billion by some sources and as $1.8 billion by others.
One source describes the fund as open to anyone deemed a victim of weaponization, while another emphasizes it could send money to allies of President Trump and Jan. 6 defendants.
Not yet confirmed
Whether the fund has been permanently terminated or merely paused remains unclear; the DOJ has not clarified its long-term status.
The exact amount of the IRS settlement that led to the fund is reported by only one source as $10 billion.
Specific bills introduced by individual Democratic senators to redirect or kill the fund (e.g., the “Drain the Slush Fund Act” and bills by Sen. Jacky Rosen) are each reported by only one source.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s position on supporting stand-alone legislation to ban the fund is not clearly reported across multiple sources.
Key figures
Department of Justice (DOJ), Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, President Donald Trump, Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Skye Perryman (Democracy Forward), Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.)
Sources: foxnews.com, NBC News
