1 week ago
Judge Seeks Architects of Trump’s $1.8 Billion Fund
A judge is investigating how a controversial government fund was created.
The fund was supposed to use about $1.8 billion in taxpayer money.
People who said they were harmed by government “weaponization and lawfare” could have received payments.
Some pardoned January 6 rioters might also have qualified.
Todd Blanche later said the fund was canceled and no longer existed.
However, the cancellation document did not include all the people who originally signed the agreement.
Critics said that could leave a way for the plan to return.
The judge has now ordered the government to reveal who helped design it.
A January 6 defendant seeking $1 million has brought fresh attention to the dispute.
A federal judge ordered the administration to disclose who helped design the $1.8 billion fund.
Attorney General Todd Blanche has said the fund was rescinded and “there is no fund.”
The proposed fund would have paid people claiming they suffered “weaponization and lawfare” using taxpayer money.
Critics objected that pardoned violent January 6 rioters could potentially qualify for payouts.
A January 6 defendant’s reported $1 million claim and visit to Blanche’s office renewed attention on the issue.
- Who
- U.S. Magistrate Judge Ivan D. Davis, the federal administration, the plaintiffs, and others involved in the Trump-IRS agreement.
- What
- The judge granted part of a request requiring the government to provide information, including the names of people who helped design the fund.
- Where
- The case is in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
- When
- The order was issued on Friday; the fund was temporarily blocked in May, and the issue returned to attention this week.
- Why
- The plaintiffs are seeking to determine how the fund was created and ensure that it and related IRS immunity cannot be revived.
Plaintiffs and Critics
Administration and Trump
Whether the fund is truly finished
Plaintiffs and Critics
The plaintiffs and critics say the agreement remains important because Blanche’s cancellation document omitted other original signatories, potentially leaving a path for the fund or related IRS immunity to return.
Administration and Trump
Blanche has stated in writing that the fund was rescinded and that no fund exists.
Purpose and eligibility
Plaintiffs and Critics
Critics objected to using taxpayer money for claims of government weaponization and argued that pardoned violent January 6 rioters could potentially receive payments.
Administration and Trump
Trump said the fund was dead but added that he wished it were not because he believed people had been treated horribly.
Need for further investigation
Plaintiffs and Critics
Democracy Forward, representing the plaintiffs, said discovery is needed to identify the fund’s architects and investigate how it came into being.
Administration and Trump
The administration’s stated position is that the fund no longer exists, although the judge has ordered it to provide the requested information.
Key facts
- Proposed fund size
- Approximately $1.8 billion in taxpayer money
- Fund’s stated purpose
- Payments to people claiming they suffered government “weaponization and lawfare”
- Judge
- U.S. Magistrate Judge Ivan D. Davis
- Government position
- Attorney General Todd Blanche wrote that the fund was rescinded and that “there is no fund.”
- Legal status
- A federal judge temporarily blocked the fund in May after a lawsuit was filed.
- Potential claimant
- January 6 defendant Treniss Evans III is seeking a $1 million payout.
Quotes
Donald Trump
President of the United States and participant in the fund’s original arrangement
“Today’s order granting discovery is a significant step in getting to the bottom of the slush fund. We will continue to meet the government in court until our investigation is complete and the slush fund is permanently halted.”
livemint.com
“people were horribly treated.”
livemint.com
Sources
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