Speaker Mike Johnson refused to rule out whether individuals convicted as part of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol would be eligible to receive money from the Trump administration’s new “Anti-Weaponization Fund” — or say whether he would oppose a scenario where they would qualify.
“We don’t know any of the details of that settlement fund,” Johnson told reporters at a news conference Wednesday morning, pointing to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s testimony before the Senate. “He said they are setting up a fund to compensate all Americans who have been the subject, the target, of lawfare or weaponization of the federal government.”
In a Tuesday hearing intended to cover the president’s budget request for the Justice Department, Blanche also refusedto say whether those who assaulted Capitol Police would be eligible for money in the newly created account. He said the payouts would be determined by members of a commission overseeing the fund, who are selected by the attorney general and have yet to be named.
“He did not say who will be eligible,” Johnson said of Blanche. “I’m not going to comment on that until it comes up.”
The $1.8 billion account was announced Monday as part of a settlement with President Donald Trump in his lawsuit against the IRS. Trump had sued for $10 billion over the leak of his tax returns. Democrats quickly cast it as a slush fund intended to enrich allies of the president, and even Senate Republicans have signaled skepticism.
“Previous Democrat administrations spent years weaponizing federal agencies against innocent Americans — including Republican Members of Congress — for political gain,” a DOJ spokesperson said in a statement defending the fund. “Under President Trump’s leadership, this Department of Justice is committed to righting those wrongs, making lawfare victims whole, and will happily address member concerns about the operation of this fund as necessary.”
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