Washington — On Friday, the Justice Department urged two federal judges to dismiss attempts to obstruct its $1.7 billion “anti-weaponization fund,” asserting that the lawsuits challenging the initiative are no longer relevant due to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s statements indicating the fund will not proceed.
This marks the first instance in which the Trump administration has officially communicated that the anti-weaponization fund will be discontinued.
In documents submitted to federal courts in Alexandria, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., high-ranking officials from the Justice Department contended that the plaintiffs challenging the fund lack legal standing to file their lawsuits, and claimed that there is no ongoing legal matter for the courts to address.
“This matter revolves around an Anti-Weaponization Fund that was never established and is now not advancing. Therefore, the claims of the plaintiffs are not subject to judicial review,” the Justice Department stated in both submissions, which were co-signed by Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward and his senior advisor Andrew Block.
The department further argued that if the court were to accept the plaintiffs’ claims, it would effectively reverse a preferred political outcome.
The case in Washington, D.C., was initiated by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a government accountability organization. Meanwhile, the Virginia case includes several plaintiffs, among them a former prosecutor involved in cases related to the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
Last week, in response to the Virginia lawsuit, U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema temporarily halted the Justice Department’s progress regarding the fund, stating that this was to ensure that no funds are irreversibly allocated while she considers the longer-term relief requested by the plaintiffs.
The Justice Department’s filings on Friday requested that Brinkema dismiss the plaintiffs’ calls for a prolonged freeze on the anti-weaponization fund.
The department argued that the plaintiffs are attempting to have the court intervene in a political discussion.
“The balance of interests and the public good do not support the Court’s involvement in a political process to terminate a fund that is already not advancing,” Justice Department attorneys wrote in both filings. “The Fund has been the focus of intense public discourse. Although this process may appear chaotic, the dynamics of such discussions are a hallmark of our constitutional democracy.”
While the issues presented by each group of plaintiffs differ, the Justice Department maintained that neither group is likely to prevail based on the merits of their claims.
Blanche informed a House committee on Tuesday that the Justice Department is “not moving forward” with the program. However, he did not formalize this assurance in writing, which raised doubts among some lawmakers regarding the potential revival of the anti-weaponization fund.
President Trump has continued to support the initiative, describing it as a “beautiful thing” on Wednesday.
The program was introduced as part of a settlement agreement regarding Mr. Trump’s civil lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service related to the unauthorized disclosure of his tax returns by a government contractor. This agreement stipulated that the fund would receive $1.7 billion, designated to compensate individuals who were victims of “lawfare and weaponization.”
However, the possibility of those involved in the January 6 incident receiving compensation has prompted significant backlash from lawmakers across both parties. This opposition jeopardized Republicans’ $70 billion legislative package aimed at funding specific immigration agencies, but the Senate approved the plan early Friday without implementing any restrictions on the fund.
Earlier this week, Blanche informed lawmakers that other aspects of the Trump-IRS settlement remain intact, including a provision that permanently prevents the IRS from taking action against Mr. Trump or his business based on previous tax returns.
