Officers who defended Capitol sue to block Trump's 'anti weaponization' fund

Added: 2026-05-20

[00:00:00]Here is the bottom line. Donald Trump got to be the plaintiff and the judge in his own case. So, walk us through what this fund is and how it came about.

[00:00:10]That's right. Uh well, this case emanating as a settlement from the president's lawsuit filed in his personal capacity against the IRS, an agency he now controls. This all stems from the unlawful release of his tax returns a few years back reported on by various news organizations. The individual who leaked those returns is serving time behind bars now, but the president believes that he was wronged reputationally as a result of that leak.

[00:00:36]And as a result, sued for further damages, initially requesting $10 billion from the IRS. This fund established $1.77 billion as a means of a settlement uh said to uh provide compensation to individuals like Trump who believe they were wrongfully targeted under previous administrations.

[00:00:54]Importantly, however, under the few terms of the settlement that we have been able to see, any names, any individuals who receive money from this fund will remain confidential. Attorney Todd Blanche writing that, quote, "On a quarterly basis, the anti-weaponization fund shall provide to the Attorney General a confidential written report that includes the names and addresses of each claimant who has received any relief. So, who gets a relief from this fund? We certainly won't know unless the administration affirmatively chooses to release those names. Meanwhile, as you noted yesterday, a bombshell with this news that the government has agreed not only to forgive any previous crimes Donald Trump may have committed vis-à-vis his tax returns, but also not to prosecute him in perpetuity for anything involving him or his businesses or his family when it comes to the IRS.

[00:01:45]The Attorney General writing, quote, "The US government releases, waives, acquits, and forever discharges each of the plaintiffs and is hereby forever barred and precluded from prosecuting or pursuing any and all claims, counterclaims, causes of actions, appeals, requests for any relief. A number of Democrats essentially describing this as a get out of jail free card, not only in this case, but any future such cases that the president could have brought against him under future administrations. Now, as you noted, this has received significant pushback from both parties on Capitol Hill. Asked about some of that today, here's how the president described the situation.

[00:02:21]Listen. I guess they made a settlement of some kind. I wasn't involved in the settlement.

[00:02:26]I could have been involved, but I didn't choose to be. So, what they've done to people is incredible.

[00:02:32]And we're getting we're reimbursing those people people for their legal fees and for their costs and for anybody involved. So, we think that those people we think that anybody involved in that process should partake. And you're talking about peanuts compared to the value. It destroyed the lives of many, many people.

[00:02:54]$1.77 billion peanuts, in the words of the former president. Certainly, we will continue to watch and see how this all falls out, Bill.

[00:03:03]Jacob, there are still lots of questions about the whether the people who stormed the Capitol and attacked police on January 6 could benefit from this fund. Has there been any clarification on on that issue?

[00:03:16]Well, Trump administration officials, up to and including the president, have refused to rule out that possibility. We do know of at least one individual who has publicly applied for funds from this new so-called anti-weaponization fund.

[00:03:30]That's Michael Caputo, a long-time Trump ally who served during the Trump administration's first term. He was investigated during the 2016 Russia investigation. Recall that was Bob Mueller's investigation of alleged ties between the Trump campaign and individuals in Russia who sought to influence the election. He, in a letter posted today, wrote, quote, "I was a 2016 target of the illegal Crossfire Hurricane investigation and our family suffered greatly during that dark era of political weaponization. He went on to request $2.7 million in restitution and reimbursement. As you noted though, lots of speculation as to other types of groups who might apply for funds from this fund. Among them January 6th protesters, rioters, many of whom were convicted or pleaded guilty to assault on Capitol Police officers. Trump administration officials again have been asked repeatedly whether those individuals would be able to receive those sorts of funds, but thus far have not ruled out the possibility of them receiving them. Here's what Vice President J.D. Vance had to say yesterday when asked about that question. We're not trying to give money to anybody who attacked a police officer. We're trying to give money, not give money. We're trying to compensate people where the book was thrown at them. They were mistreated by the legal system. Sometimes, you know, we are we do have John in this in this country innocent until proven guilty. We do have people who were accused of attacking law enforcement officers. That does that does that that that that doesn't that doesn't mean that we're going to completely ignore some of the claims that they're going to make. We're going to evaluate these things on a case-by-case basis.

[00:05:08]And as you have Trump officials suggesting that, you know, former J6 rioters could ultimately receive funds from this. We also heard today from two former police officers who helped defend the Capitol during the January 6th attack. They sued the government seeking to block this payout noting that they continue to receive threats and intimidation from individuals involved with the attack on the Capitol that have since been pardoned suggesting if this fund is allowed to move forward, it could further put them in in, you know, personal jeopardy. Certainly something we'll be tracking to see whether any court step in to try to block this.