{"id":27,"date":"2026-05-19T18:09:48","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T18:09:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=27"},"modified":"2026-05-19T18:09:48","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T18:09:48","slug":"democrats-decry-trumps-1-8-billion-slush-fund-to-reward-his-own-allies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=27","title":{"rendered":"Democrats Decry Trump\u2019s $1.8 Billion \u201cSlush Fund to Reward His Own Allies"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Truthout is an indispensable resource for activists, movement leaders and workers everywhere. Please make this work possible with a <\/span><\/i>quick donation<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Read more Israel Enacts Death Penalty Law for Palestinians in the Occupied West Bank<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 The U.S. Department of Justice announced Monday a new \u201canti-weaponization\u201d settlement fund as a condition of President Donald Trump voluntarily dropping his multi-billion-dollar lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service for the leak of his tax returns several years ago.<\/p>\n

Trump, his sons Don Jr. and Eric, and the Trump Organization moved to drop the $10 billion suit Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, with prejudice \u2014 meaning he cannot revive it in the future. <\/p>\n

Shortly after Trump\u2019s hit the court docket, the DOJ announced the creation of a $1.776 billion settlement, not to be paid to Trump or his family, but to be divvied up among \u201cothers who suffered weaponization and lawfare,\u201d according to a department press release.<\/p>\n

Democrats swiftly denounced the settlement as a \u201cslush fund.\u201d<\/p>\n

The move presumably means those pardoned by Trump for crimes related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol could seek money from the government. The DOJ\u2019s announcement did not specifically mention President Joe Biden, former Attorney General Merrick Garland or the Capitol riot, and noted there are \u201cno partisan requirements to file a claim.\u201d <\/p>\n

Trump campaigned on pardoning anyone prosecuted by the Biden administration for crimes related to the 2021 attack, describing them as \u201cpatriots\u201d and \u201chostages.\u201d He pardoned roughly 1,600 defendants on the first night of his second term, and the White House published a dedicated web page to those targeted by \u201ca weaponized Biden DOJ.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to monetary relief, eligible claimants will also receive a formal apology from the government.<\/p>\n

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Trump\u2019s former personal defense attorney, said in a statement, \u201cThe machinery of government should never be weaponized against any American, and it is this Department\u2019s intention to make right the wrongs that were previously done while ensuring this never happens again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs part of this settlement, we are setting up a lawful process for victims of lawfare and weaponization to be heard and seek redress,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Trump, his family and the Trump organization will also receive a formal apology but no monetary damages as part of the arrangement, according to the DOJ.<\/p>\n

Trump Tax Info Leaked<\/h2>\n

The president and his family had filed suit in January against the IRS for the leak to news media of their tax information by a contractor in late 2019. The contractor was sentenced for the leak in early 2024.<\/p>\n

Read more UC Is Finalizing Its Land-Use Rules Without Involving Directly Impacted Tribes<\/a><\/p>\n

When questioned by the press Monday afternoon, Trump said he knew \u201cvery little about\u201d the creation of the fund. <\/p>\n

\u201cThese were people that were weaponized and really treated brutally by a system that was so corrupt, with corrupt people running it, and they\u2019re getting reimbursed for their legal fees and the other things that they had to suffer,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n

A committee of five \u201cvery talented people, very highly respected people\u201d will decide how to distribute the money, he said.<\/p>\n

Funding an \u201cInsurrectionist Army\u201d<\/h2>\n

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer denounced the plan Monday afternoon as \u201cone of the most depraved\u201d uses by Trump of the Justice Department.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis weekend, Trump worked up a plan to shake hands with himself in order to fund his insurrectionist army to the tune of billions,\u201d Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cDonald Trump sued his own government. Trump\u2019s DOJ settled with Trump. And now Trump gets a nearly $2 billion slush fund to reward his own allies, loyalists, and insurrectionists. That is not justice. That is corruption happening in broad daylight,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n

In an amicus brief filed Monday afternoon, 93 House Democrats urged U.S. District Judge Kathleen Mary Williams, nominated by President Barack Obama, to immediately dismiss Trump\u2019s \u201ccollusive lawsuit\u201d for lack of jurisdiction.<\/p>\n

The Democratic lawmakers argued in the filing the fund is \u201cplainly unlawful\u201d for numerous reasons.<\/p>\n

\u201c(F)iling a collusive lawsuit only to immediately dismiss it in order to produce a collusive settlement that is illegal multiple times over would not only be legally barred; it would also raise serious questions about whether the parties have manipulated the court system to achieve illicit ends,\u201d according to the .<\/p>\n

Read more Trump\u2019s EPA Rolls Back Protections Against PFAS in Drinking Water<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sen. Chuck Schumer called the plan \u201cone of the most depraved\u201d uses by Trump of the Justice Department.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":26,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nDemocrats Decry Trump\u2019s $1.8 Billion \u201cSlush Fund to Reward His Own Allies - Smart Moving Home<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=27\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Democrats Decry Trump\u2019s $1.8 Billion \u201cSlush Fund to Reward His Own Allies - Smart Moving Home\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Sen. 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