Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent rebuffed Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D-CA) threat to tax the nearly $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund” with a simple response during a Thursday afternoon press briefing.“There is no cure for stupid,” Bessent told reporters when asked to respond to Newsom’s threat. The California governor and possible 2028 presidential candidate announced on Wednesday that anyone from California who accepts the funds will be taxed 100%.
“If you get a payout from Trump’s January 6 slush fund, California will tax it at 100%,” he wrote on X. “People who assault cops and overthrow democracy don’t deserve a taxpayer-funded payday.”
If you get a payout from Trump’s January 6 slush fund, California will tax it at 100%.People who assault cops and overthrow democracy don’t deserve a taxpayer-funded payday. pic.twitter.com/GIy6wANJkK— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) May 27, 2026
Earlier this month, the Justice Department announced the $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization fund” that could help compensate Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot defendants as part of a settlement resolving Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the leak of his confidential tax records.
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