Trump administration defends $1.8B fund as DOJ gives Trump tax immunity

Added: 2026-05-26

[00:00:00]The Justice Department reached a settlement with President Trump this week after he agreed to drop his10 billion dollar lawsuit against the IRS over the leak of his tax returns. Part of the settlement includes a nearly $1.8 billion quote anti-weaponization fund.

[00:00:16]NPR's Tom Dbach reports the administration says it will consider giving a portion of those funds to January 6th defendants. Trump administration officials say people who believe the government was weaponized against them should apply for taxpayer funded restitution through the Justice Department's upcoming anti-weaponization fund. And officials would not rule out making payments to Trump supporters who violently assaulted police during the January 6th attack on the capital. Vice President JD Vance told reporters they would evaluate applications on a case-bycase basis.

[00:00:49]>> We're trying to compensate people where the book was thrown at them. They were mistreated by the legal system.

[00:00:55]>> Democrats have condemned the initiative, calling it a slush fund for Trump's allies.

[00:01:00]>> Meanwhile, NPR's Eric McDaniel reports constitutional scholars are also questioning the legality of the move.

[00:01:06]>> It's article 1, section 9 of the US Constitution. Congress gets to decide how money is allocated, but President Trump just set up an almost $2 billion fund to give money to people he says have been subjected to a politicized justice department. The acting attorney general told lawmakers on Capitol Hill that might include people who stormed the capital on January 6th, 2021. The 14th amendment also includes a provision that bars payments to insurrectionists.

[00:01:29]But Gerard Maloka, law professor at Indiana University, says it's unclear whether any January 6th payouts would also violate that clause.

[00:01:36]>> And on Tuesday, the Justice Department inserted a supplement to that deal with the president. It would bar the government quote forever from investigating any outstanding tax claims against Trump, his sons, or the Trump Organization. I'm Corva Coleman, NPR News. For more of today's news, be sure to like and follow us or check out NPR News Now, wherever you get your podcasts.