Former police officers who defended the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack filed a lawsuit Wednesday seeking to block the Trump administration’s newly created $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization fund,” arguing it could compensate rioters who assaulted law enforcement during the riot. The lawsuit contends the fund violates constitutional protections and federal law by potentially allowing taxpayer money to flow to individuals involved in the Capitol attack. Former U.S. Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn and Metropolitan Police Department officer Daniel Hodges, both of whom became nationally known for defending the Capitol during the riot, filed the lawsuit in federal court.
Dunn and Hodges argue the fund, announced this week by the Justice Department as part of a settlement resolving President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over leaked tax returns, unlawfully creates a compensation system for political allies and could benefit Jan. 6 defendants who were later pardoned by Trump.
According to court filings, the two former officers argue that the fund’s existence encourages violence, such as what they experienced during the Capitol attack.
“The Fund’s mere existence sends a clear and chilling message: those who enact violence in President Trump’s name will not just avoid punishment, they will be rewarded with riches,” the lawsuit argues. “That message, by itself, substantially increases the already sizeable risk of vigilante violence Dunn and Hodges face on a near-daily basis. And it encourages those who are harassing Dunn and Hodges, and sending them death threats, to up the ante.”
