The Trump administration’s newly created nearly $1.8 billion fund for allies of President Donald Trump who say they were wrongly targeted by the government was hit with a second lawsuit on Friday, adding to the growing legal and political backlash facing the White House.
Friday, a diverse group of people and organizations — including a former federal prosecutor and a prominent government watchdog group — asked a judge in Alexandria, Virginia, to block the Trump administration from distributing any money, arguing the fund is unconstitutional and violates a series of federal laws.
Among the plaintiffs in the case are Andrew Floyd, a former federal prosecutor who worked on criminal cases brought against people who participated in the January 6, 2021, US Capitol riot, and John Caravello, a professor in California who was acquitted of charges that he assaulted a federal agent while protesting an immigration raid last year.
Also challenging the new fund is the city of New Haven, Connecticut, the National Abortion Federation and Common Cause, a watchdog group that frequently challenges controversial moves by the Trump administration.
The lawsuit comes two days after current and former police officers in Washington, DC, who defended the US Capitol during the riot sued to block implementation of the fund, arguing it could potentially be used to pay individuals who participated in the attack and finance various paramilitary organizations in the country – both of which they say would be unlawful.
