Trump 'anti-weaponisation' fund indefinitely blocked as judge wants guarantee it's abandoned

A US judge has continued to block a $1.8 bn (£1.3bn) "anti-weaponisation" fund proposed by President Donald Trump last month.

In the Friday ruling, Judge Leonie Brinkema gave the Trump administration one week to confirm via sworn statement that the fund will not proceed.

The proposed "anti-weaponisation" fund was announced to settle a lawsuit by Trump against the Internal Revenue Service over the leak of his tax returns. It drew strong criticism from Democrats and some Republicans over who it may benefit.

Last week, Brinkema issued a temporary halt to the fund, which was set to expire on Friday.

While in court on Friday, she repeatedly said that Blanche's recent congressional testimony that the DoJ fund was not proceeding was not enough of a guarantee that the fund is no more. That is why she requested written confirmation from Blanche and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, according to MS NOW.

When DoJ officials announced the fund last month, they said it would have a total of $1.776bn available to settle and pay cases. They said the "anti-weaponisation fund" would be governed by a five-member commission that can vet and pay claims to those who showed they were victims of "lawfare" and "weaponisation".

There was immediate concern from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle that people prosecuted over the US Capitol riot on 6 January 2021, including those convicted of assaulting police officers, could receive payment from the justice department.

After that outrage, Blanche went to Capitol Hill and told lawmakers, "We're not moving forward with the fund, period".

The request to stop the fund came from a group of plaintiffs, including Andrew Floyd, a former federal prosecutor who said he was fired for prosecuting cases against individuals who stormed the US Capitol on 6 January.

"I will continue this litigation to ensure that this unconstitutional fund does not erase the accountability imposed by judges and impartial jurors—and the hard-earned work of the victims, witnesses, law enforcement officers, and prosecutors who delivered it," Floyd said in a statement after the ruling.