Two police officers who defended the Capitol during the January 6, 2021, insurrection have filed a lawsuit against former President Donald Trump and others seeking to dissolve a $1.776 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund established this week. Retired US Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn and Metropolitan Police Department officer Daniel Hodges allege the fund will empower rioters and paramilitary groups involved in the attack, putting their safety at risk. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
The fund arose from a settlement in which Trump and his sons dropped a $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS concerning leaked tax returns. The fund aims to compensate people who claim to be victims of political weaponization or prosecutorial overreach by the Justice Department. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, a Trump appointee, named a five-member commission to decide qualifying claims. [2, 4, 5]
Dunn and Hodges say they were injured during the Capitol riot and remain threatened by rioters and their supporters. Their lawsuit describes the fund as a "corrupt sham" and calls it "the most brazen act of presidential corruption this century." They allege it will reward violent insurgents who acted in Trump's name. "The Fund’s mere existence sends a clear and chilling message: those who enact violence in President Trump’s name will not just avoid punishment, they will be rewarded with riches," it states. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Trump issued broad pardons for nearly all January 6 rioters on the first day of his second term. He has defended the fund, stating, "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." [3, 4, 5]
The fund, totaling roughly $1.776 billion, was announced on May 18 as part of the IRS lawsuit settlement. On May 19, Blanche defended it at a congressional hearing, calling the mechanism "unusual but not unprecedented." Vice President JD Vance said claims will be reviewed "case-by-case." [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
About 1,600 people face charges related to the January 6 events. [2, 5] IRS attorneys reportedly believed the government could have contested Trump's lawsuit but agreed to settle instead, creating the fund. [4]
Dunn and Hodges filed their complaint on May 20, the latest step in legal challenges related to January 6. The case seeks to block the fund’s distribution and prevent taxpayer money from supporting alleged insurrectionists.
