A federal judge in Virginia has temporarily blocked a nearly €1 billion fund linked to Donald Trump’s administration. The case is being watched in Catalonia and beyond because it raises questions about how public money could be used to compensate the former president’s allies.
Judge Leonie Brinkema’s order stops the administration from taking any action related to the creation or operation of the Anti-Weaponisation Fund. Court documents say this includes the transfer of money, the consideration of claims submitted, and the disbursement of any funds. The judge said the block would ensure no money is irreversibly paid out while the plaintiffs’ motion is pending.
The judge has set a hearing for 12 June to hear arguments and decide whether to extend the suspension. The fund is part of an agreement with prosecutors, under which Trump withdrew a lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the leaking of his tax returns to the press.
According to the article, people convicted over the 6 January 2021 Capitol assault would be among those who could benefit from the fund. Two agents present during the assault filed the lawsuit to stop it, describing it as a “corrupt farce” and a discretionary expense fund with taxpayer money to finance insurrectionists and paramilitary groups.
The fund has also become a political issue, with Democratic and some Republican members of Congress seeking limits to stop public money from going to Trump’s political allies or donors. The Department of Justice said that, under the agreement, the president, his sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, and his company, the Trump Organisation, would receive a formal apology, but no financial compensation or indemnity of any kind. More news