A federal judge in Virginia on Friday ordered the Department of Justice not to take any further action in creating or operating a nearly $1.8 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund.
Judge Leonie Brinkema, a Bill Clinton appointee, also directed that there be no transferring of money to the fund, consideration of any claims submitted to the fund, or disbursing of any money from the fund.
The judge granted a motion for an expedited briefing and hearing schedule, directing the DOJ to file its brief by next Friday, June 5, and the plaintiffs to turn in their reply by June 10.
Andrew Floyd, the lead plaintiff, is a former U.S. attorney who prosecuted Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol incursion cases in Washington, D.C., before he was fired by then-Attorney General Pam Bondi, the Associated Press reported.
BREAKING: Virginia U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema (Bill Clinton appointed) has temporarily BLOCKED the Department of Justice from establishing a nearly $1.8B Anti-Weaponization Fund.
Reuters: “The order by U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema of the Eastern District of… pic.twitter.com/QYoqQ4JKUg
— RedWave Press (@RedWavePress) May 29, 2026
The DOJ announced the Anti-Weaponization Fund last week, saying it was being created as part of the agency’s settlement agreement in the case Trump v. Internal Revenue Service, regarding the leak of the tax returns of President Donald Trump, Donald Trump, Jr., Eric Trump, and the Trump Organization, LLC.
The records were released in 2022 by Democrats in Congress during the Biden administration, according to CNN.
In a May 18 news release, the DOJ said, “Per the settlement, plaintiffs will receive a formal apology but no monetary payment or damages of any kind. They have agreed, in exchange for the creation of this fund, to drop their pending lawsuit with prejudice, and also withdraw two administrative claims including for damages resulting from the unlawful raid of Mar-a-Lago and the Russia-collusion hoax.”
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said regarding the fund, “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.”
“As part of this settlement, we are setting up a lawful process for victims of lawfare and weaponization to be heard and seek redress,” he added.
The fund was to receive $1.776 billion.
“There is legal precedent for such a Fund, most notably the ‘Keepseagle’ case where the Obama Administration created a $760 million fund to redress various claims alleging racism against the federal government over a period of decades,” the DOJ noted.
Nearly 1,600 people were charged with Capitol incursion-related offenses, with over 1,200 convicted or pleading guilty to various crimes.
Former Attorney General Bill Barr told Fox News in January 2024, during the last year of the Biden administration, that the DOJ was far too aggressive in prosecuting Jan. 6 protesters.
“I think there were people involved in Jan. 6, particularly the people who attacked the police and broke their way into the Capitol, there were people that should have been prosecuted, but I think they [the Biden DOJ] cast their net far too broadly and have been hounding people that really, you know, just walked into open doors in the Capitol and hung around.”
Further, then-U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves made clear in a January 2024 news briefing that thousands of people who entered the Capitol grounds “without authorization” were also eligible to be prosecuted.
Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz responded to Graves’ statement, posting on X, “This is an absolute abuse of power. Biden DOJ is threatening to prosecute ‘thousands’ of people who (in his own words) did NOT commit a crime of violence & simply stood OUTSIDE Capitol. This is a political persecution of Biden enemies.”
This is an absolute abuse of power. Biden DOJ is threatening to prosecute “thousands” of people who (in his own words) did NOT commit a crime of violence & simply stood OUTSIDE Capitol.
This is a political persecution of Biden enemies. Congress should FORCE Graves to testify. https://t.co/Ch1SvcpAnS
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) January 8, 2024
The FBI often conducted its arrests in early morning raids with weapons drawn on suspects’ homes, sometimes employing armored vehicles.
On his first day in office, Trump commuted the sentences of 14 individuals and pardoned all others convicted of Jan. 6-related offenses.
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