Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as people try to storm the US Capitol Building in Washington, DC, on January 6, 2021. Demonstrators breeched security and entered the Capitol as Congress debated the a 2020 presidential election …
Two of the officers who defended the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, are suing to prevent a new $1.776 billion settlement fund from making payments to anyone, including supporters of President Donald Trump accused of participating in the assault that day.
Big picture view:
The officers’ lawsuit came just a day after a congressional hearing where acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, a former personal attorney for Trump before joining the Justice Department, defended the fund and refused to rule out potential payments for those who participated in the assault.
What they're saying:
The new fund was described in the lawsuit as "the most brazen act of presidential corruption this century." The filing claims the president would use it to "finance the insurrectionists and paramilitary groups that commit violence in his name."
The other side:
The Trump administration announced the "Anti-Weaponization Fund" on Monday, saying the money would be used to pay Trump supporters who believe they were wrongfully investigated or prosecuted by the government.
"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 in a statement.
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The backstory:
The fund is being created as part of the settlement that ended Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over his leaked tax returns. A five-member commission appointed by the Attorney General would make the decisions on payouts.
Dig deeper:
The lawsuit names Trump, Blanche, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent as the defendants in the case. One of the attorneys for the officers, Brendan Ballou, had previously worked for the Justice Department and handled January 6 cases during that time.
The Source: Information for this article was taken from the legal filing and The Associated Press. This story was reported from Orlando.