Capitol police officers sue Trump administration over $1.7 billion ‘Anti-Weaponization Fund’

The Department of Justice's (DOJ) 'Anti-Weaponization Fund' may face a serious hurdle before being implemented, as two law enforcement officers who protected the U.S. Capitol during the January 6, 2020, insurgency have sued President Donald Trump's government on Wednesday to block implementation of the $1.7 billion fund. The money was part of a settlement fund, which the DOJ devised as compensation for the President, who had filed a $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for leaking his tax details.

The lawsuit, which was brought to a federal court by Harry Dunn, a former member of the U.S. Capitol Police, and Daniel Hodges, a current member of the Washington, DC, Metropolitan Police Department, claimed the fund was unconstitutional. As per a CNN report, lawyers of the two law enforcement officials claimed that the fund violated the 14th Amendment, which states that the government could not pay debts "incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States."

"If allowed to begin making payments, the fund will directly finance the violent operations of rioters, paramilitaries, and their supporters who threatened plaintiffs' lives that day, and continue to do so," a part of the 29-page lawsuit read. "Militias like the Proud Boys will use money from the fund to arm and equip themselves. The fund will grant their past acts of violence legal imprimatur...And, most chillingly, the fund will signal to past and potential future perpetrators of violence against Dunn and Hodges that they need not fear prosecution; to the contrary, they should expect to be rewarded," the lawsuit reads. "Dunn and Hodges did not back down on January 6. Instead, they held the line to defend democracy and the rule of law. They bring this case to do so once again."

According to the Administrative Procedure Act, individuals could challenge certain government decisions. The lawsuit stated that the money in the fund would be used in a way that was a "misappropriation of taxpayer funds orchestrated by the President to reward his allies and the rioters who committed violence in his name." So far, high-ranking GOP officials have claimed that anybody could apply for compensation from the fund if they believe they were treated unfairly by the previous administration.

Vice President J.D. Vance was asked whether those who attacked police officers would receive compensation, and he said that the administration was not looking to hand out money to such people. "We're not trying to give money to anybody who attacked a police officer, we're trying to give money...we're trying to compensate people where the book was thrown at them. We have people who were accused of attacking law enforcement officers. That doesn't mean we're gonna completely ignore some of the claims they're gonna make," he said during a media interaction at the White House. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche had heated debates with Democratic Senators when he went to testify about the fund.