Jan. 6 officers sue over Trump's $1.8B fund they call a "corrupt sham"
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Tear gas is fired at supporters of President Trump who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Photo: Evelyn Hockstein/for the Washington Post via Getty Images
Two law enforcement officers who battled Jan. 6 rioters at the Capitol in 2021 filed a suit Wednesday to dissolve President Trump's $1.8 billion fund for victims of alleged weaponized political prosecutions.
Why it matters: Critics have called the taxpayer-funded fund "illegal," but experts say it's unclear who would have legal standing to challenge it in court.
What they're saying: Lead plaintiffs, former Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn and D.C. Metropolitan Police Officer Daniel Hodges, argue the fund is a "corrupt sham" that will compensate Jan. 6 rioters, according to the 29-page lawsuit.
- "In the most brazen act of presidential corruption this century, President Donald J. Trump has created a $1.776 billion taxpayer-funded slush fund to finance the insurrectionists and paramilitary groups that commit violence in his name."
- Dunn and Hodges say the fund "endangers" their "lives and safety" in two ways. "First, by its very existence, the Fund encourages those who enacted violence in the President's name to continue to do so. Dunn and Hodges already face credible threats of death and violence on regular basis; the Fund substantially increases the danger."
- "Second, if allowed to begin making payments, the Fund will directly finance the violent operations of rioters, paramilitaries, and their supporters who threatened Plaintiffs' lives that day, and continue to do so."
Catch up quick: Trump created the fund to settle a lawsuit he filed against the IRS after a former contractor released his tax returns to media outlets.
- Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche will appoint a five-member commission to hear claims of weaponization and determine whether claimants deserve compensation.
- Blanche previously served as one of Trump's personal attorneys.
The intrigue: IRS attorneys reportedly believed they had a strong legal case to fight Trump's lawsuit, but the agency settled anyway, according to the New York Times.
Zoom out: Asked Monday whether Jan. 6 rioters could be reimbursed, Trump said the fund is "reimbursing people that were horribly treated."
- "It's anti-weaponization. They've been weaponized, they've been, in some cases, imprisoned wrongly. They paid legal fees that they didn't have. They've gone bankrupt, their lives have been destroyed, and they turned out to be right," Trump said, presumably referring to his false claim that he won the 2020 presidential election.
- Vice President Vance also suggested Tuesday that Hunter Biden, the son of former President Biden, could also get money from the fund. "Republicans can apply for it, Democrats can apply for it," he told reporters during a press briefing.
- The Justice Department did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.
Go deeper: Trump DOJ settlement prevents pending tax investigations of president, family
