Trump's 'Anti-Weaponization Fund' faces additional lawsuits

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: ABC News

May 22, 2026, 5:21 PM


The Trump administration's $1.8 billion compensation fund to pay those who claim they were targeted by the Biden administration is now at the center of three federal lawsuits.

The nonprofit watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington on Friday asked a federal judge to halt the creation of the fund, calling it "a jaw-dropping act of presidential corruption."

Earlier Friday, a coalition of nonprofits and individuals, including a former Jan. 6 prosecutor, filed a complaint in the Eastern District of Virginia, alleging that the creation of the fund bypassed Congress' authority over federal spending and violated the 14th Amendment's prohibition on using federal funds "in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States."

"Created following a collusive agreement between the President and his own administration, this Fund has no congressional authorization, no basis in law, and no accountability," the lawsuit said. The CREW lawsuit attempts to establish legal standing by focusing on the purported secrecy of the fund, which it says is in "defiance of federal records preservation and access laws."

Read more: https://abcnews.com/US/trumps-anti-weaponization-fund-faces-2nd-federal-lawsuit/story?id=133228507

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Link to CREW ANNOUNCEMENT - CREW sues to block Trump’s $1.8 billion slush fund

Link to SUIT (PDF) - https://www.citizensforethics.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Slush-Fund-Complaint_as-filed.pdf

[hookaleft]

1. Also Democracy Forward has filed

Individuals, Organizations Harmed by the Trump-Vance Administration Sue to Block $1.776 Billion Slush Fund
Lawsuit Challenges Taxpayer-Funded Payout Scheme

Alexandria, Va. —In the most comprehensive case of its kind, a broad coalition of organizations and individuals harmed by the Trump-Vance administration are challenging the $1.776 billion so-called “Anti-Weaponization Fund,” which the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) created through a private agreement with President Trump and his family following the president’s own lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). This fund allows the Trump-Vance administration to distribute taxpayer money with minimal oversight, transparency, or judicial involvement, while creating a politically discriminatory process that excludes many of the plaintiffs – people alleging abuses by Republican officials or administrations.

Harmed plaintiffs include former career Assistant U.S. Attorney and January 6th prosecutor Andrew Floyd, Professor John Caravello, City of New Haven, and National Abortion Federation. Additionally, Common Cause joins as a plaintiff because their mission is to safeguard taxpayer funds, and they are unable to do that if taxpayer funds are going toward a secret slush fund. All plaintiffs are represented by Democracy Forward.

In January 2026, President Trump, members of his family, and the Trump Organization sued the IRS and the Treasury Department over the disclosure of his tax return information. Rather than litigating the case, the department settled it by establishing a massive government-funded compensation program designed to benefit people wholly unrelated to the Trump v. IRS litigation. Many of these individuals, who claim they were victims of alleged “lawfare” or “weaponization” by Democrats or Democratic administrations, are now emboldened to continue unlawful activity, including the illegal harassment of abortion clinics and violence at polling locations around the country.

The lawsuit argues that the creation of the fund violates the U.S. Constitution, exceeds executive authority, unlawfully bypasses Congress’s exclusive authority over federal spending and appropriations, and violates the Administrative Procedure Act. The complaint also challenges the administration’s use of the federal Judgment Fund to finance the program. The lawsuit raises concerns about the secrecy surrounding the fund’s operations, including provisions that allow claims and payments to remain confidential and limit public accountability for how nearly $2 billion in taxpayer money is distributed.

snip

https://democracyforward.org/news/press-releases/individuals-organizations-harmed-by-the-trump-vance-administration-sue-to-block-1-776-billion-slush-fund/

[Bayard]

2. May they prevail for all our sakes

This monstrosity is still blowing my mind. Mafia Don paying his minions with our money.