Harry Dunn and Daniel Hodges Sue to Dissolve the $1.8B "Weaponization" Slush Fund

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Allison Gill

By now you’re aware of Todd Blanche setting up a $1.8B slush fund to pay reparations to white supremacists, insurrectionists, and criminal co-conspirators involved in the January 6th attack on the capitol and the attempt to thwart the peaceful transfer of power in 2021.

The fund is purportedly a “settlement” agreement between Trump and the IRS pursuant to Donald’s $10B lawsuit against the agency he controls, seeking compensation for the unauthorized release of his tax returns (despite the IRS releasing the tax returns of over 400K other people.)

But this is not a settlement.

Donald unilaterally dropped his law suit on the eve of briefs coming due to explain how the courts even had jurisdiction to resolve a case where Trump controlled both sides of the suit. The judge closed the case, but noted that because there were no settlement terms outlined in the notice to the court, there is no settlement of record. That makes this “weaponization” fund nothing more than theft of taxpayer money without appropriations from Congress and without a court order.

For the past week, I’ve been discussing the fund, and hoping someone would have standing to sue to stop it. Today, former Capitol police officer Harry Dunn and Metropolitan PD officer Daniel Hodges filed suit in the federal district court for the District of Columbia to dissolve the fund.

https://www.muellershewrote.com/p/new-harry-dunn-and-daniel-hodges

[LetMyPeopleVote]

1. Maddowblog-Former Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn files suit to block Trump's 'slush fund'

The existence of the new lawsuit is a reminder that the “slush fund” controversy is unfolding on multiple fronts.

Link to tweet

https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/former-capitol-police-officer-harry-dunn-files-suit-to-block-trumps-slush-fund

A familiar figure intends to find out. On Wednesday morning, former Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn, perhaps best known to much of the public for his testimony to the bipartisan Jan. 6 committee, filed a lawsuit with the Public Integrity Project seeking to invalidate the Republican administration’s fund, claiming that it emboldens violence against police and rewards sedition.

Another officer, Daniel Hodges, who also defended the Capitol on Jan. 6, joined Dunn in bringing the lawsuit.

MS NOW’s Britt Miller spoke to Dunn about the lawsuit and this week’s developments. The decorated officer said:

I had the opportunity to talk with lawyers about this. And we are going to sue to stop this illegal slush fund. Now, obviously, we encourage everybody else to sue. Everybody should, this can’t happen. So, we believe that we, the officers in this suit, will be harmed by this. We have been subjected to countless death threats in addition to all the violence that we faced on Jan. 6. But for just speaking out the truth, I mean, I guarantee you somebody’s watching this right now and typing death threats to us right now. And deaths only continue to embolden and potentially continue to arm a militia that Donald Trump will have on retainer.

Commenting on those expected to benefit from the fund, Dunn added, “These guys are asking for handouts and grifting and just wanting taxpayer money.”

The lawsuit comes one day after former New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin appeared on MS NOW and argued that Trump’s fund is “illegal.”

[yellow dahlia]

2. This is a much needed lawsuit.

The Thug Fund is such an insult to them and all officers on Jan 6...and all officers of the law, full stop.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

3. Here is a link to the lawsuit

Link to tweet

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.292539/gov.uscourts.dcd.292539.1.0.pdf

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4. The civil case filed by officers Harry Dunn and Danny Hodges has been assigned to Judge Richard Leon

This will be fun to watch

Link to tweet