Who could benefit from Trump's $1.7+ billion "weaponization" fund?
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the creation of the fund as part of the settlement of President Trump's lawsuit against the IRS over the leaking of his tax returns.
The fund's creation is the latest step Mr. Trump has taken to enact his pledge to bring "retribution" for his supporters, after pardoning roughly 1,500 defendants who were convicted of crimes committed during the Capitol insurrection, stripping security clearances from his perceived political enemies and demanding his Justice Department to investigate them.
During Mr. Trump's second administration, Justice Department leaders have fired dozens of staff who investigated Mr. Trump and his allies as part of two special counsel investigations, one related to his alleged mishandling of classified records and the other tied to his conduct following the 2020 presidential election. They have also created a "weaponization working group" to review Biden administration law enforcement policies . And now the Justice Department will control an unprecedented amount of taxpayer money to potentially dole out to those it deems wrongly investigated or prosecuted.
A spokesperson for the Trump legal team said in a statement that Mr. Trump "is entering into this settlement squarely for the benefit of the American people, and he will continue his fight to hold those who wrong America and Americans accountable."
After the fund was announced, ethics experts were quick to raise questions about how any claims against the fund would be processed — who's eligible to receive a settlement, and who's arbitrating the claims? Here's what's known about the fund.
What is the fund, and how will it be used?