How Trump's $1.8B "anti-weaponization" fund works

Trump sued the IRS and Treasury over a 2019 leak of his tax returns, seeking $10 billion. A settlement provides a formal apology to Trump, his sons, and the Trump Organization, but no money, and it prevents the IRS from auditing past returns. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche created an Anti-Weaponization Fund using the Treasury Department’s Judgment Fund. A five-member commission will be handpicked by the attorney general to decide recipients, and its decisions cannot be appealed or challenged in court. The fund runs until December 2028, allows spending part of its money on itself, and does not require public disclosure of payouts. Eligibility covers almost anyone alleging “weaponization” or “lawfare,” and exclusions for certain convicted individuals were not confirmed.

"Trump sued the IRS and Treasury in January for $10 billion over the 2019 leak of his tax returns. The settlement gives Trump, his sons and the Trump Organization a formal apology but no money, and it bars the IRS from auditing Trump's past tax returns. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Trump's former criminal defense lawyer, created the Anti-Weaponization Fund with the Treasury Department's Judgment Fund."

"The attorney general will handpick the five-member commission that decides who will collect money from the fund, which ends in December 2028. Those decisions can't be appealed or challenged in court. The settlement does not require public disclosure of payouts. The settlement lets the fund spend part of the $1.776 billion on itself, including staff, travel and facilities."

"Almost anyone alleging "weaponization" or "lawfare" can apply, Blanche told a Senate Appropriations subcommittee Tuesday. Blanche refused to commit that people convicted of assaulting Capitol Police would be excluded: "I'm not one of the commissioners setting up the rules." Vice President Vance separately said that even Tina Peters, the former Colorado county clerk convicted of a state crime, and Hunter Biden, the son of former President Biden, could be compensated."

"The backstory: Trump's new fund is possible thanks to a Judgment Fund created by Congress in 1956, so the government could quickly pay off court losses and settlements without voting each time. Initially, payouts were limited to $100,000. That cap was lifted in 1978. Critics have previously warned that it lets administrations spend huge sums with little oversight."

Read at Axios