Trump admin pushes back on 'slush fund' attacks against Anti-Weaponization Fund and lays out who qualifies
The Trump administration says the $1.778 billion Justice Department "Anti-Weaponization Fund" will compensate Americans unfairly targeted by politicized federal investigations on a "case-by-case" basis, pushing back on critics who have...
By Fox News · Fox News
The Trump administration says the $1.778 billion Justice Department "Anti-Weaponization Fund" will compensate Americans unfairly targeted by politicized federal investigations on a "case-by-case" basis, pushing back on critics who have portrayed the program as a taxpayer-funded payout for Jan. 6 rioters and Trump allies. Heated dispute over the fund centers on who will ultimately benefit from it, with Trump administration officials saying it is intended to compensate individuals harmed by " weaponized" federal investigations , such as pro-lifers targeted by the Biden administration, while Democratic critics fear it could allow politically connected figures or some Jan. 6 defendants to seek taxpayer-funded payments. "Republicans can apply for it. Democrats can apply for it," Vice President J.D. Vance said during a Tuesday White House briefing in answer to the critics. "If Hunter Biden wants to apply for this particular fund, he is welcome to." The Anti-Weaponization Fund is unusual because it emerged from a lawsuit settlement between Trump and the IRS, an agency he oversees as president, raising concerns among lawmakers and commentators about potential conflicts of interest. REPUBLICANS RECOIL AS TRUMP'S BILLION-DOLLAR DOJ 'SLUSH FUND' FOR ALLIES THREATENS ICE, BORDER PATROL PLAN MS NOW contributor Joe Scarborough alleged that the Anti-Weaponization Fund would be funneled to those convicted in the Jan. 6 , 2021, Capitol riots. On his first day in office, Trump issued pardons and commutations to more than 1,500 people involved in the Capitol riots. "We got this billion-dollar ‘Marie Antoinette’ ballroom, now that they’re talking about funding and $1 billion plus slush fund for people who beat the hell out of cops," Scarborough said. "It is a slush fund, a weaponization slush fund for supporters of Donald Trump , JD Vance and the Republican Party." But the Trump administration's grievances with the "weaponization" of the Justice Department extend far beyond Biden-era…