A federal judge in Virginia has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from moving forward with its nearly $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund,” ordering a halt to all related activity while she weighs a legal challenge arguing the fund has no basis in law.
U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema issued the order on Friday, barring the administration from taking any further action in connection with the creation or operation of the fund including transferring money into it, reviewing submitted claims, or processing any payouts. ABC News
The $1.776 billion fund, announced the previous week, was established by the Justice Department to compensate individuals who allege they were wrongly targeted under the Biden administration. ABC News
Judge Brinkema, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton, said she was pausing work on the fund to maintain the status quo while she considers the legal challenge, noting that the Justice Department had not committed to halting transfers or payments while initial court proceedings played out. She set June 12 as the date by which the administration cannot transfer money or process claims, pending further proceedings. CNNThe Washington Post
Among the plaintiffs who petitioned the court is Andrew Floyd, a former federal prosecutor who says he was dismissed for his work prosecuting defendants connected to the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. The other plaintiffs include Jonathan Caravello, a university professor who claims he was unjustly arrested while protesting an immigration raid in California, and the city of New Haven, Connecticut, which the Trump administration had sued for its sanctuary city immigration policies. CNBC
The plaintiffs argued that the fund represents a “collusive agreement” between President Trump and his administration that “has no congressional authorization, no basis in law, and no accountability.”
Floyd, in a declaration filed in connection with the lawsuit, said the Trump administration “is gifting the people I helped investigate and prosecute after January 6” access to what he described as an illegally created process designed to rush money to perceived political allies.
The Anti-Weaponization Fund was unveiled earlier this month after Trump settled an unprecedented lawsuit he had brought against the Internal Revenue Service. The fund is to be run by five commissioners selected by the attorney general.
The case is one of several suits filed in the past week against the fund, which has drawn criticism from a broad coalition of opponents who contend they have been targeted by the Trump administration and would be ineligible to receive compensation from it.
The fund has prompted skepticism from both Democrats and Republicans, with opponents labeling it a massive “slush fund” for the president’s political allies. Legal experts have also raised alarm over what they describe as very little public oversight over how it would be managed.
“This is a victory for transparency, the rule of law, and the American people,” said Skye Perryman, whose organisation Democracy Forward filed the lawsuit. “No administration has the authority to spend public money through a political rewards program that Congress never authorized,” she added.
Judge Brinkema has asked the Justice Department to submit written legal arguments in the case by the following Friday. The DOJ did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
