$1.7 bn for Trump's allies? New 'Anti-Weaponization Fund' sparks outrage

The Trump administration on Monday announced the creation of a $1.7 billion fund to compensate political allies who believe they were unfairly prosecuted under the Biden administration, as part of a deal to drop President Donald Trump's lawsuit against the IRS over the leak of his tax returns.The "Anti-Weaponization Fund" was announced by the Justice Department, which said Trump would receive a formal apology but no monetary payment or damages from the IRS case."The machinery of government should never be weaponised 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, Trump's former personal lawyer, said in a statement.The fund could be tapped by others who believe they were unfairly pursued by the Biden administration, including the hundreds of Trump supporters prosecuted for their role in the January 6, 2021, Capitol assault.The compensation plan drew fierce criticism from Democratic lawmakers. representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called it "outright corruption."Senator Chris Van Hollen said on X: "Trump is 'dropping' his bogus lawsuit against the IRS in exchange for a slush fund, courtesy of your tax dollars, that he can use to pay off his political allies."House judiciary committee ranking Democrat Jamie Raskin said the fund would pour taxpayer dollars into "a huge slush fund for Trump at DOJ to hand out to his private militia of insurrectionists, rioters, and white supremacists."Trump had sued the IRS seeking $10 billion in damages after a former contractor leaked his tax returns to the media. The contractor was sentenced to five years in prison in 2023.