In a statement, Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin said that the settlement is little more than a slush fund for the president’s “private militia of insurrectionists, rioters, and white supremacists […] and sycophant accomplices to his election-stealing schemes.”
The U.S. Department of Justice has announced that it will establish a $1.8 billion fund to compensate those allies of President Donald Trump who were allegedly persecuted by the Biden administration.
According to the BBC, the so-called “Anti-Weaponization Fund” will be created “in exchange” for President Donald Trump dropping his $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service. Democrats have since criticized the settlement as a “slush fund,” taken by the country’s chief executive from an agency under his direct authority.
Under the terms of the agreement, Trump and his co-plaintiffs—including several of his sons—will receive an apology but no financial compensation. However, rioters who were arrested for vandalizing the U.S. Capitol and assaulting federal law enforcement officers on January 6 could be entitled to claim funds if they were subject to “unfair” or “partisan” investigations.
A spokesperson for Trump has since said that the president is “entering into this settlement squarely for the benefit of the American people.”
“He will continue to fight to hold those who wrong America and Americans accountable,” the spokesperson said.
The BBC notes that legal experts have expressed skepticism over the ethics of the settlement.
Last week, for instance, the judge overseeing the lawsuit asked a panel of legal experts to submit an analysis of the proposed settlement. They responded by calling it “unprecedented.”
“A sitting president seeks monetary damages for alleged harm to his personal interests from an executive agency that he controls,” the panel wrote.
As part of the settlement, the United States government will be “forever barred and precluded” from examining or prosecuting Trump, his sons, and the Trump Organization over all current and outstanding tax issues.
Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said that the government will soon determine who is eligible to receive payments.
“The machinery of government should never be weaponized against any American, and it is this Department’s intention to make right the wrongs that were previously done while ensuring this never happens again,” Blanche said.
More than 90 Democrats in the House have filed a motion to block the settlement.
In a statement, Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin said that the settlement is little more than a slush fund for the president’s “private militia of insurrectionists, rioters, and white supremacists […] and sycophant accomplices to his election-stealing schemes.”
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), similarly, cast the settlement as blatant corruption.
“Not only is this another heinously corrupt act by the most corrupt administration in history, it’s clearly a violation of the law that prohibits interference by executive branch officials in IRS audits,” Wyden said, adding that he and his fellow Democrats plan to “fight every element of this self-dealing settlement.”
Sources
Trump administration unveils $1.8bn fund to compensate his allies as he drops tax lawsuit
U.S. government agrees to drop tax claims against Trump in broadening of IRS lawsuit settlement
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