DOJ creates $1.8 billion fund that could compensate ‘targeted’ Trump allies
PBS NewsHour – Politics — 2026-05-18 17:55:00 — www.pbs.org
The Justice Department announced the creation of a nearly $1.8 billion fund aimed at compensating Trump supporters who claim they were unjustly investigated or prosecuted by previous administrations. This announcement is part of a settlement with President Trump, who agreed to drop a $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS regarding the leak of his tax returns in 2019. During an interview, President Trump stated, “This is reimbursing people that were horribly treated, horribly treated. It’s anti-weaponization. They have been weaponized. They have been, in some cases, imprisoned wrongly. They paid legal fees that they didn’t have. They have gone bankrupt. Their lives have been destroyed. And they turned out to be right.”
The lawsuit filed by Trump and his family alleged that the leak of classified tax returns during his administration caused significant financial and reputational harm. The leaker, a federal contractor, is currently serving a five-year prison sentence. The DOJ’s new fund, referred to as the anti-weaponization fund, will be available to individuals who claim to have suffered from what the DOJ describes as “weaponization and lawfare.”
While the fund has been met with criticism from Democrats, who have labeled it a “slush fund,” the DOJ clarified that President Trump cannot apply to be a claimant. However, it remains unclear whether individuals associated with him will be barred from filing claims. Nearly 100 House Democrats have filed a lawsuit to block the fund, with Senator Elizabeth Warren calling it “corruption on steroids.”