What's Trump's anti-weaponisation fund' and why are legal experts alarmed?

The US Department of Justice announced an anti-weaponisation fund to compensate people who say they were unfairly targeted by the federal government. The fund was created as part of a settlement arising from a lawsuit President Donald Trump filed against the IRS, alleging a leak of his tax information. Trump’s tax information was leaked to The New York Times between 2018 and 2020, and in 2023 Charles Edward Littlejohn, an IRS contractor, was accused of providing the returns. Littlejohn pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years in prison in 2024. Trump later sued the IRS and Treasury for $10bn. The acting attorney general said the fund establishes a lawful process for victims of lawfare and weaponization, and the fund will receive just under $1.8.

"The United States Department of Justice has introduced an anti-weaponisation fund that will be used to financially compensate people who claim they have been unfairly targeted by the federal government. The fund, announced on Monday, is part of a settlement arising from a lawsuit that President Donald Trump filed against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) this year, blaming it for a leak of his tax information."

"Between 2018 and 2020, Trump's tax information was leaked to The New York Times. In 2023, Charles Edward Littlejohn, a former contractor at the IRS, was accused of providing those tax returns, according to a statement from the US Justice Department. The Times, citing the returns, reported in 2020 that Trump, a billionaire, had paid little or no federal income taxes over 15 years."

"In January, Trump sued the IRS and Department of the Treasury, which are part of his own government, for $10bn, accusing the agencies of failing to prevent the leak of his tax information. On Tuesday, the office of the attorney general in Washington DC, announced the establishment of the anti-weaponisation fund as part of a settlement agreement between the two sides."

"“The machinery of government should never be weaponized against any American, and it is this Department's intention to make right the wrongs that were previously done while ensuring this never happens again,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who was appointed by Trump, was quoted as saying in a Justice Department news release published on Monday. “As part of this settlement, we are setting up a lawful process for victims of lawfare and weaponization to be heard and seek redress.”"

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