Two current and former police officers posted at the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021 riot sued President Donald Trump’s administration Tuesday over a nearly $1.8 billion fund for victims of alleged political prosecutions.
Former U.S. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn and Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Officer Daniel Hodges alleged the Anti-Weaponization Fund is centered on a “corrupt sham” of a settlement, according to their Tuesday lawsuit. The plaintiffs named Trump, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in their lawsuit. The DOJ announced the fund’s creation after Trump, his eldest sons and the Trump Organization agreed to drop a $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) over their alleged leaking of his tax returns, NBC News reported.
Dunn and Hodges claimed no statute authorizes the creation of such a fund and “its design violates the Constitution and federal law” in the lawsuit. The pair alleged the fund was “a $1.776 billion taxpayer-funded slush fund to finance the insurrectionists and paramilitary groups that commit violence in [Trump’s] name.”
The plaintiffs alleged that the fund would endanger their lives by allowing those who have allegedly committed violence on Trump’s behalf to continue doing so. Payments made via the fund would finance the “violent operations” of individuals who have threatened both officers’ lives, the lawsuit alleged. The pair argued that the fund needed to be dissolved to prevent additional harm. (RELATED: Trump Admin Moves To Vacate Jan. 6 Proud Boy Convictions)
The Justice Department (DOJ) announced it had formed the Anti-Weaponization Fund as part of the settlement agreement with $1.776 billion in a press release. The DOJ said the fund is intended “to provide a systematic process to hear and redress claims of others who suffered weaponization and lawfare.”
While anyone who believes they have been harmed by the government can apply for money from the fund, Jan. 6 rioters would not automatically receive any, Blanche said, according to NBC News. “Does it mean they’re going to get money? No,” said the acting attorney general. “It just means they are allowed to apply.”
Blanche will choose five members to oversee the fund, according to the DOJ. Their names have not yet been announced, and it is unclear how the government will determine who receives payments, NBC reported.
Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward responded to criticism of the fund while addressing the press Tuesday, according to Politico.
“To all the panicans out there, look, as the associate attorney general, I already have the authority to settle any claim that is brought against the United States of America,” Woodward said.
“I think that it’s way, way, way too early for us to rush to judgment on whether this was a good or a bad idea or to describe it as a slush fund, or really even to criticize it … because there’s not been a single claim filed, there’s not been a single payment made,” he continued.
A DOJ spokesperson denied the fund was corrupt and said the department will continue to expose lawfare in an email to the Daily Caller.
“The only thing illegal and corrupt about this situation is the brazen weaponization of federal resources by previous administrations to retaliate against those with opposing political beliefs. This Department will continue to expose this lawfare and ensure those who experienced injustices are made whole.”
The DOJ may argue that the plaintiffs do not have standing to bring the lawsuit, Politico reported.
Yoganda D. Pittman, who served as acting chief of the Capitol Police after the Jan. 6 attack, reportedly apologized for the agency’s failure to control the riot while speaking to the House Appropriations Committee in 2021, according to prepared remarks. Upon assuming office on Jan. 20 2024, Trump pardoned an estimated 1,500 individuals charged in relation to Jan. 6 by executive order.
Dunn launched a 2024 congressional bid, but lost the Maryland primary, The Guardian reported. He announced that he was running for Congress once more in February, according to NBC News.
A spokesperson for the Capitol Police confirmed Dunn is a former Capitol Police Officer in an email to the Daily Caller.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated with new information, and to clarify the nature of how the fund was announced by the DOJ.